


Underneath The Surface

by RandomHeroX



Category: RWBY
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama, F/F, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-29
Updated: 2018-06-25
Packaged: 2019-05-15 18:43:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 111,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14795909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RandomHeroX/pseuds/RandomHeroX
Summary: Time passed since the fight with Torchwick and the White Fang. With less time fighting, the team members of RWBY are able to concentrate on each other, causing a few members to think twice about what their partners actually mean to themselves. Will they follow through with the feelings they harbor or let opportunity slip between their fingers? Bumblebee and White Rose represented.





	1. Blake: A Feline Frenzy

Hello. Thanks for anyone who was curious enough to read it. Those coming from my mlp stories, big thanks to you as well. Anyways, this is my RWBY fic and hope you enjoy it.

Blake: A Feline Frenzy

Months have passed since the run in with White Fang. Fortunately. for the Faunus. who was tested by her merit and loyalty, was glad to feel the normality of being a student. Team RWBY was quiet about the reveal of Blake's true race, although she felt that Weiss still harbored some negative feelings towards her despite her loving nature. Blake would stock that in the win category considering the ice princess was threatening the police and incarceration before it was all said and done.

For the most part, Blake's life had reset back to normal. School, training, and hiding her secret from the world. Shortly after the fight, Team RWBY sat down and talked about the next step and she logically explained why it would still be better to wear the bow. She didn't want to become Velvet. The sweet, shy, innocent Faunus gets picked on and nobody at school really seems to take initiative to stop the bullying because of the Faunus' status. She vowed to be more vocal in her protection of Velvet, but would not like the attention at the school for being different. Ruby thought it was fine as long as Blake was happy with it. Weiss found the logic sound as Blake didn't like attention in the first place. The one that seemed slightly miffed by it was Yang. Not because she should be proud of being Faunus, but for a far more immature reason.

She really liked Blake's cat ears.

Blake normally would have punched anyone who would jokingly say such a statement about Faunus attributes. She hates being found cute by such odd appreciation for her race, Yang was an exception. Yang was the reason she was with the team by being Ruby's big sister, was easier to open up to because of her endless spout of cheerfulness, and genuinely felt that the ears weren't just some accessory she wish she could have, but a part of Blake as a whole.

Blake didn't know what ignited the fire with Yang, but she has been asking her to hang out with her more, just one-on-one. She was alright with it. No matter how good a book was, it was no substitute for a friend. The dark-haired girl was sitting on her bed as the Fall weather temperatures were dipping down. The scenery was beautiful, but not for a girl that normally wears shirts with a midriff and a vest for attire. She figured sitting down and enjoying the sequel to 'Ninjas of Love' and some tea would be far more enjoyable than whatever was out there.

As she was getting into the very guilty pleasure romance of the novel, the door crashed open. The woman was startled, bringing her out of the steamy moment to see her blonde bunk mate at the frame.

"Hello bed!" Yang exclaimed and sluggishly leaped face first on Blake's part of the bunk. The Faunus took a disliking to the disruption and voiced her opinion.

"Wrong bed, Blondie. You're top." Blake observed the slickness of sweat coating her friend. The wetness of her skin clinging her clothes to her curves. "You were just at the gym weren't you? I don't want your dirty sweat on my sheets."

The blonde replied as if Blake was able to hear the muffled excuse.

"I didn't get that. Turn yourself over," Blake said slightly annoyed.

The blonde did as instructed. "Can't I lie here for a minute? I might have pushed myself a tad harder today than usual."

"Normally, I would say yes, but not when the shower is ten feet from us. Please, Yang, I just washed these things," she said authoritatively. Yang let out a large defeated sigh and marched herself to the doorway. The blonde did what she always does and flings her clothing back into the room as she disrobes. Blake went back to her book with the background noise of the shower running and Yang humming some random tune from the Achieve Men. Blake particularly didn't enjoy the boy band's music, but her partner's cheerful humming of the songs had grown on her. The thought crossed her mind as she realized Yang had grown on her. Being such an anti-social person, Blake would sit in her room and read frequently for the escapist feeling of a great read. She gave credit to Ruby, but Yang was always the one to convince her to get out of her comfort zone on more than one occasion. She couldn't believe that in a lifetime she would go to a dive bar, watch so many movies, and actually attend an Achieve Men concert. Blake did find them better live, but Yang was slowly opening up Blake to the rest of the world. She had no idea why Yang would take the person least likely to enjoy the time spent, but she was grateful as she could see worse ways of spending her time.

The time exhausted blow drying Yang's hair was longer than Professor Port's blathering rants. But as the howling of the machine clicked off, a fresh blonde with a white towel wrapped around her came out of the steamy room.

"Man, that felt good. Warm water, you have done it again," Yang vocalized as she did a few quick jabs in the air. Blake peaked over her book and was surprised at her reaction to the normality of the situation. Yang was a beautiful woman. Blake would even find herself admiring the voluptuous curves of her partner, but today she found them a little more tantalizing. She watched Yang go to the dresser. Hips swaying with such force, hair bouncing against her delicate back, and breasts giving a healthy bounce to the thrusts.

Blake could feel her face heat up. " _Well. alright, that's weird. Yes, Yang's pretty, but certainly never had that reaction before. Granted I probably have never peaked over my books to see her walk out of the bathroom. Just shake it off, Blake. The book is getting rather hot in this section. It was probably a one time thing._ "

Yang got dressed in her usual attire and plopped back into the same position as she was before the shower. Now fully clean, Blake could care less if Yang were to fall asleep at her feet, but it seemed she was more in a talkative mood.

"What's the book about?"

Blake was brought out of her reading groove again, but her team interrupting her was more than fine at this stage. Blake, however, couldn't reveal that she was reading one of her smutty romance novels. She would never hear the end of it from the cheeky blonde. The Faunus quickly thought of a lie. "It's about a Faunus. She is in love and falling for a successful dust merchant, but he is a self-hating Faunus and doesn't want anything to do with her even though he feels the same way. It's thoroughly unattractive that he would do such a thing, just to keep his business thriving," Blake commented.

"I hear you," Yang said from beyond the book. The dark-haired girl then felt the warm hands of Yang burn into her cold feet. Before she could complain, Yang was positioning herself next to Blake. An arm lazily wrapped around the Faunus' waist and a tuft of blonde hair on her shoulder.

"Have to ask, what's with the snuggling?" Blake protested.

"Your feet were freezing and, judging from the rest of you, you could use a good heater," Yang pointed out. Blake wanted to complain and kick her off, but she had to admit that the brawler's fiery aura was hitting the right spots as it was coursing through her. Blake didn't mind as she has had to share warmth in her part on White Fang missions. So long as Yang wasn't a disruption to the reading, Blake would be still.

After a few minutes of silence, Blake felt her wish disapperate. "Can you read it to me?"

"Read? Are you serious?"

"I just want a cat nap. Noise helps me fall asleep. You have a really gentle voice and the synopsis earlier got me curious," Yang explained.

"You said cat nap cause I have cat ears, didn't you?" the Faunus pointed out.

Yang stifled a giggle. "Yeah. Puns are awesome, aren't they?"

Blake rolled her eyes and didn't mind the harmless joke. She decided that reading couldn't hurt, but not at the part where the protagonist was on all fours receiving one of the best orgasms of her life. She slipped backward to how the two first met to keep her partner in the dark about her taste in literature. After a few pages, Blake could feel Yang's arm go limp and head slump onto the her shoulder. The Faunus smiled at the gesture, but even as Yang's body heat was transferring over, the woman could feel herself getting hotter from within. She again blamed the book and joined Yang for a small sleep on the lazy day.

* * *

Blake was carrying in groceries from the local convenient store on campus. Yang was a fan of her snacks and the school was very health oriented. It was either go months without the tasty bites or go on a pilgrimage to a store and purchase the stock. Blake was promised access to the pastries if she helped, but as they were walking towards the store, recounting how much time they've spent together. Since the lazy day, it's been almost a continuous stream of her and Yang for events that didn't require Blake to be there.

As they were stowing their loot under Blake's bed for storage, the Faunus had to answer her curiosities. "Yang, is there a particular reason you've been asking me to join you in all these activities?"

The blonde stopped as if caught red in a lie. She resumed momentarily placing the boxes. "You know... just wanting some company."

Yang was not the best liar and Blake decided to press harder on the subject. "You know you didn't need me to go get a new school uniform because you ripped your jacket."

Yang paused and the look of defeat in her face indicated Blake wasn't wrong in her prodding of information. "Well, you know how you're like a Faunus and all."

Blake's stern nature was immediately dismantled at the obvious fact. "Yeah. Known that for awhile."

"Well, back when we were all talking about what you would do with your ear reveal, I said I just wanted you to keep your bow off because I like your ears. This is true. I think they are adorable, but it makes me feel that you want to hide from the rest of us humans because we are horrible. Me dragging you everywhere is because I wanted to show you that most humans are genuinely good people and wouldn't bat an eyelash if you walked into their stores with your ears. I know you're proud of being a Faunus and I wouldn't want you to not be your full self because of a few bad eggs."

Blake was taken aback form the statement. She didn't think Yang would go beyond the normally bubbly nature to give a thought out reason for her not to hide. She was moved by the blonde's words. "That's actually really sweet of you, Yang, but I have my reasons. I want to believe what you say, that probably most humans wouldn't care. I didn't give humans much of a chance before coming to Beacon and, thanks to you and the team, you've shown me that humans are capable of understanding. Sadly, I've seen a harsher reality where they treat you fine in disguise, but the second they realize who you are, they put up their prejudice and protect themselves from the 'monster'. Don't get me wrong. I've had a lot of fun going out with you. Next time you invite me someplace, have it be because you want me with you."

Blake gave a reassuring smile and Yang smiled big back. She leaped over and gave the Faunus a bear hug. The strong fighter had to admit that sometimes Yang didn't know her own strength as a few back bones were cracking under the pressure. The blonde pulled back, got up and offered Blake her hand. "Then I cordially invite you to class cause we have like two minutes to get there."

Blake didn't realize how late it was before Yang snatched her hand and was pulling her to class. She wanted to protest the childlike gesture, but was more intrigued as to what response was happening to her. She felt her pulse increase as Yang hugged her and face heating up as the brawler took her hand so quick. Before she could make anything out of the sensation, she was already in her seat. Luckily, Beacon wasn't overcrowded and the seats were feet away from each other. She wanted Yang to keep a distance as throughout Professor Oobleck's class all she could think about is what was going on with her body.

" _What is wrong with me? Yang shouldn't have that kind of reaction on me. My heart is racing and it isn't because we ran here. Feeling her body pressed against mine and delicately holding my hand like that. I flushed. I'm still flushed. I can feel the heat on my face. Good thing Yang's long hair is keeping me out of her peripheral vision so she can't see this. I've read too many books to not guess at what this is, but I can't give into it. I can't actually be falling for her?_ "

Fidgeting in her seat while sorting out her feelings was harder than she thought. It was like trying to stop an oil fire. The more she tried to pour water onto it, the more it spread. As she was trying to deny it, the past few months with her and Yang were coming back and she was noticing the finer qualities of the blonde and traits she looks for in a romantic partner. Slowly a checklist was made and being filled out mentally as Blake felt she was going crazy with the realization. Before the bell rang, Blake made sure to push it out of her mind. Dwelling on such a subject was pointless and wasted the entire hour she was supposed to be learning about Vale's history.

The bell rang and Blake didn't want to see Yang, lest she only further prove her hypothesis. She stomped up the stairs, but with the blonde already at the entrance waiting, her plan got snuffed quickly. Using her training, she centered herself and kept a straight face for the unknowing brawler. "Long lecture. I was about to fall asleep. I swear, if that class wasn't so small I'd be on my scroll looking up cute animal pictures to kill time."

Blake let out a shaken laugh as she noticed that now looking directly into the lilac orbs was harder. " _Keep cool, Blake._ "

"Yea... yeah. I found myself nodding off almost."

"Well, I'm starved. Let's get down to the hall and get some grub while it's fresh," Yang pronounced. The slender arm of the blonde was about to wrap itself around Blake's shoulders as usual. The Faunus quickly reacted and shuttered away from the close quarters touching of Yang.

"Umm... rain check. If you don't mind, I want to get back into my room and lie down. Think I may have caught something," Blake lied.

Being the most trusting person ever, Yang ate it up without giving it a second thought. "Jeez, sorry. You should have said something earlier. I wouldn't have brought you out today, then. I'll..."

"Nora! Give me back my backpack!" was barely shouted by the mild mannered Ren. Blake looked down to see the bouncing redhead, backpack in tow, making her way hurriedly up the stairs.

"You were taking too long packing up. I'm speeding up the process. It's Melon Bread Day. Melon bread, Ren. Gotta get down and get some," Nora enthusiastically stated. With her usual unfazing happiness, Nora ran in-and-out of every student to get some bread. The redhead accidentally swung the backpack and hit Blake in the back of the knee. As the Faunus was falling, she abruptly stopped. She opened her eyes to see Yang's face inches away from hers. Blonde hair cascaded down, making a private viewing of Blake's crimson face. In the static seconds, as she was looking into the brawler's face, she felt her heart stop and kick start in her throat.

Yang propped the dark-haired girl up and placed an open palm over her forehead. Blake resented the niceness as it was only making her hotter having the blonde touch her. "You are burning up. Sneaky cold. It's even messing with your stance. You usually are really good on your feet."

Blake knew the real reason behind her clumsiness and it wasn't the imaginary cold. Staying so close to the source wasn't going to help. Blake couldn't see it, but her face was rivaling Ruby's coat and sweat pouring from the proximity of Yang were at least making her story believable. "Yeah. Colds. Super crazy. I think I'll take that as my cue to leave," Blake extended her lie, peppering her outro with some mild coughs. "I'll try to not get the team sick."

"It's all good. Sharing a little germs only makes us stronger. To bed with you. I'll be back in a bit and I better see you under the sheets," Yang warned with a smile.

Blake didn't need to hear anymore as the emotions raging inside her were almost bursting at the seams. The Faunus made haste back to her room, covering her face so no one would see her. She couldn't believe how foolish she was acting in front of Yang. To a lesser extent, she couldn't believe her feelings towards the blonde. Blake made it to the safety of her bedroom, stepped into the bathroom and splashed water in her face. She looked at herself in the mirror. She was never one to show emotion and what she saw in her eyes was fear.

"I can't... I can't be falling for Yang. Who am I kidding? Based on my schoolgirl antics, I've fallen for her like a tons of bricks. Surprised I can make coherent sentences with my voice shaking as much as it is. But... why does it have to be her? Why couldn't it have been some random person on the street who flashed me a nice smile and I never saw again. It's not like I can avoid Yang. Even if I were to avoid her for the day, somehow, I'd eventually have to come here to sleep. I'm in love with my partner, teammate, dorm mate, and bunk mate. So little time is spent away from her that I can't even find it plausible to get over her. But it sure explains how my feelings became so strong."

Blake sat on the closed toilet and put her face in her hands, sulking in the realization. "Such a hopeless endeavor. The Faunus War divided us and The White Fang attacks continue to keep us apart. I could never ask Yang to deal with the troubles me and my people go though just so I can have her. Human and Faunus relationships are extremely frowned upon, definitely some of the prejudice would be splashed from me to her. Yang was lucky enough to be born a human and to have her be with me would have her give up those privileges. I can't be so selfish..."

Blake grabbed sip of water and headed to her wardrobe for a quick change. Yang thought she was sick and she might as well play the part. Now, in her black robe nighty, she snuggled underneath her covers and picked up another book. While reading, the door was tapped on and the person of her infatuation stepped in. Blake hid behind the book as Yang came closer to her. Often intruding personal space, the blonde placed her finger on the binding and forced the Faunus to look Yang in her lilac eyes. She smiled big as she held up a plastic bag.

"I don't know how hungry you were, but I brought you some mushroom stew and your favorite, a tuna sandwich."

Blake's heart swelled at the kindness, but openly rejected it. " _Why... it would be a person who is thoughtful. Why do I have to fall for the good ones?_ " she sarcastically thought.

The Faunus lowered her book and address the blonde woman. "Thanks," she said as she lowered the book and placed it on the shelf next to the bunks. She accepted the plastic bag, untied in and got to the food. "You didn't have to do this. It's really nice of you."

"Pssh. It's nothing. Come on. Eat up," Yang cheerfully said. The blonde dove under the bed and got a couple of the coveted snacks they earned today. She offered one to Blake, but she was sure the two course meal would more than satisfy her. They quietly sat there and enjoyed their meals. The only sounds being the plastic wrappers and Blake blowing on the stew to cool it. Although it was calm on the outside, inside the raven-haired girl was a different story.

" _This soup reminds me of when Yang held me and had her aura pulsed through... OK no. This needs to stop. This has to stop. Look at something else. Anything that doesn't remind me of her. Ruby's bed. Nope, Yang's sister. The dresser. Wait, that's Yang's yellow shirts slumping about on the top. To the floor. Why is Yang's dog throw pillow on the ground?_ "

The Faunus finished her modest serving quickly and moved on the the main course. Yang threw her plastic next to the wastebasket and missed. She shrugged it off as Weiss wasn't in the room to chew her out. Blake was focused on not looking over to Yang and ate the sandwich while looking at the ground. She heard the sheets ruffle and before she knew it, Yang was behind her playing with her bow. The Faunus moved her head to stop the playful antics.

"You know not to touch it."

"I know. Sorry. I saw you eating tuna and remembered cats like tuna. It's hard not to fixate on the obvious," Yang innocently confessed.

Blake didn't want to admit that her new found love was having a change of heart on her attitude towards the no touching policy. She almost blurted that it was alright as long at it was Yang, but with the blonde actually touching her, it would only make her sickness look worse. The Faunus finished her delectable snack food and got underneath the covers. She may be having to play sick, but a small nap after the stressful couple of hours was highly desirable about now. While turned away from the blonde, Yang put the back of her hands on the dark-haired girl's forehead and stroked though the long strands. Blake shuttered at the touch. Before Yang would go any further, she spoke her concern. "Can you please not do that. I appreciate it, but I'm a grown woman. I can take care of myself."

"I know. Sorry for being like this. I used to take care of Ruby when she was sick. Watching her grow, she doesn't need that support from me anymore. It's all that milk she drinks."

Yang's infectious laugh had Blake's smiling in the pillow. She did deflate quickly. Out of everyone in the group, Yang carried such a caring attitude that even the ice princess had a hard time rebuffing the kindness. If there was one thing that shouldn't be punished, it's her almost motherly affection. Blake was trying to keep her crush a secret, but couldn't hurt her tender teammate in the process. The Faunus thought back to the first conversation she had with her sister. Yang used to read Ruby to bed, stories of heroes and monsters. Blake sat up, still trying to keep her distance, but close the emotional one.

"Read me to sleep."

Yang looked over at the sudden response. "Really?"

"Yea-yeah. You seemed to like it when I read to you. Let's see if it works for me." Blake smiled, but darted her eyes to not meet the lilac ones gleaming with joy.

"Let's give it a shot. So long as you're alright with some classic fiction," Yang said beaming a smile. She returned to her original position as she grabbed one of the novels from Ruby's childhood. As Yang read the perfectly poetic words, Blake shut her eyes and drifted to sleep.

" _If I can keep these feelings under control, I could get used to this._ "

* * *

" _I can't get used to this,_ " the Faunus thought to herself. " _This is one of those times I wish my team picked up the slack. Weiss, why does she have to drag Ruby around for studying? Without the other two, it's just me and Yang. Oobleck's exams are notoriously hard so it's been me, her, and a couple of textbooks alone in a small library room. I've been trying to keep my distance, but Yang always seems to look at my book. Probably because there's more than enough distracting doodles on her pages._ "

Blake sat on her bed, waiting for the time she had to meet Yang. The blonde had infected her mind and the Faunus was love sick or rather sick of her love. She had disappointed herself so much. She is usually so calm, cool, and collected. Years of training to be able to handle herself in the most dangerous situations, but a couple of pretty eyes were enough to dismantle her. " _It's not that I haven't felt like this before. Couple missions with some members of The White Fang, you know, you get close to one another. Never have I been falling over on my feet, though._ "

The Faunus laid on her bed. Hoping she'd get an email on her scroll saying the exam was canceled so she wouldn't have to see Yang tonight. She packed up her things and headed towards the library. She got a room and sat quietly. She didn't know why she came early as Yang is fashionably late. Then again, some quiet study time without Yang, the ultimate distraction, was a good thing.

Eventually the blonde came in with a food apology for being late. Blake again was annoyed as Yang could do no wrong. The study session went better than previous. Yang brought in an honest effort to learn history and was exceeding the expectations of the Faunus. Some quiet conversation, tea, and biscuits made for a productive meeting.

Their time reserved in the library room was almost over. With putting in more time than usual, Blake and Yang spent the time talking instead of burning themselves out for the exam. Since a lot of the exam was on The Faunus War, the subject of fighting was ever present and Yang was talking about the battle she had at a nightclub. "So, I just get done with fighting just a little militia of guys in bad suits. They couldn't pull off red ties and fedoras if they tried. Just wrecked them as soon as I released my semblance and got serious. You have your rules with the bow. I have my rules with my hair and they broke them."

Blake was amused. Definitely the two who liked fighting the most were Ruby and Yang. Neither of them liked to draw blood, but judging from the reading material they used to read, they were people who fought for what was right, and protected people who couldn't protect themselves. So listening to Yang talk about how she absolutely was crushing bones and pulverizing organs was enchanting. The authority she revealed in fighting was unreal. From her description, each punch was to not only take down the enemy, but make it look as good as possible. Such confidence was very admired by the Faunus. It definitely was stirring the love inside her.

Constantly having to direct her attention to anything other than Yang when she felt the urges. However, during the story's duration, the dark-haired girl was transfixed on the brawler. The golden hair, the shining lilac eyes, lips slick with gloss, button nose. She could go on. The longer her attention was on Yang, the harder it was to control.

"So now it's just me and these two girls. Hideous saloon outfits and they are just punks who think they can beat me. I reload by flinging my ammo belts in the air and locking them into Ember Celica and..."

Yang was stopped as the Faunus' faced closed in and their lips connected. Yang's eyes widened as the suddenness of the kiss was setting in. Blake was lost in the moment. By the time she realized what was happening, the kiss was complete and she quickly backed away. She saw her partner's dumbfounded face. Blake's heart raced. She knew she had to somehow cover up her actions.

"So sorry, Yang. I didn't mean for that to happen. I was sitting here and you were talking and I don't know, I lost myself and..."

The Faunus was shut down as Yang forcefully placed her lips onto hers as her reply. With roles reversed, the amber eyes of Blake were about to pop out. The feeling was too good. It's what she secretly has been wanting and was going to let herself give into the emotions. Both girls succumbed to the motion of the loving action and closed their eyes. Yang's lips were soft and coated with a hint of strawberry, an alluring scent of citrus wafting from her golden hair. It was slow, but sweet as pecks from the blonde were gently controlling the session. Yang tentatively pushed Blake's hair behind her ears. The brawler's hand found its place and rested behind the Faunus' head, deepening the kiss. Blake's free hand cupped Yang's face, rubbing her thumb on the soft cheek. Her blush was freely spreading as she was getting more into the moment.

Before the peppering of small innocent kisses got out of hand, the two heard a long tapping on the window. Blake immediately snapped back into reality and looked in horror to see who was outside. The ever-so chipper Nora was waving and saying 'hello' as if the two weren't in an intimate moment. Next to her was Ren, who has his head down pretending not to see and hide his embarrassment from Nora's entrance.

Blake's face was already red from the intimacy. The added layer of embarrassment of getting caught made her face look like a tomato. Blake reacted quick and shoved all of her books into her pack and quickly made her way to the door. "Thanks for studying, Yang. Sorry for going over the time Ren and Nora bye."

Blake heard Yang say something, but pretended not to hear it. All she knew was she couldn't face Yang or her team for awhile. " _I can't believe I just did that. What is wrong with me? I didn't mean to do that, it just happened. Almost like magnets getting slowly stronger until they are close enough to connect. It's over. Yang isn't going to let that slide past her. We can't go back to where we were as friends. Now that she knows how I feel about her. I have to get away. Just for a few days. Maybe I can think of a better excuse than you had something on your lips._ "

The scared Faunus departed from the library and quickly made her way towards the town. It wasn't going to be easy, but living off campus is her only option. A couple of transactions later, she was in a hotel room with a bed. It wasn't as nice as the dorm, but there was the plus that there was no Yang. Blake sat on her bed, rolling around in her own self-loathing. She figured as long as she shows up for the exam would be enough. Skipping a few classes till then would be easy to make up.

After the adrenaline of the event was leaving her, Blake was falling asleep on her pillow. She didn't want to think about what happens next. There were too many scenarios were it would end poorly. Dwelling on it would only make her feel worse. As guilty as it was, she thought back to the kiss, placing her hand to her lips. She could still feel Yang, taste her saliva, and feel every pleasurable nerve as her mind reminisced. " _It may not have been worth it, but it was... gratifying._ "

Thanks for reading. I will be updating the story every three weeks. I am a grad school student, work part time, so time gets slim around exams and presentations. The time gives a nice buffer so I can concentrate on my work and play effectively. Also I will introduce White Rose in a few chapters. It won't just be Bumblebee. If you want please review, fav, follow. Thanks and have a nice day.


	2. Yang: A Blonde's Bind

First off I want to say, thanks for the positive response. As a first time post, I didn't expect much, but it was a solid start to a series I didn't attempt. To all those who did read, review, favorite and follow, thank you. Please share with the communities if you want and please give a shout out to my artist for the story, Bakki on DeviantArt. He drew my cover and ever other chapter will have some art commissioned by me. Anyways here's the chapter. Enjoy.

Yang: A Blonde's Bind

"Wait, Blake. Stop!" Yang yelled as she scrambed to pack up. She quickly shoveled all the papers into a heap and slung her pack over her shoulder. Then she remembered that Blake reserved the room and would need to go pick up her ID at the front. Yang said her pleasantries to Ren and Nora and rushed downstairs to see if Blake was obsessive enough to remember. At the desk there was no one. The blonde ran up the desk for inquiries.

The worker behind the counter looked annoyed, but was ready to aid Yang. "Hello, how may I help you?"

"Yeah. You seen a black-haired girl run by here. Wearing a black vest, white shirt, bow in her hair," she said hurriedly.

"Yes, certainly was breaking policy by running in here. What of her?" the librarian snappily retorted.

That was all the information Yang needed as she headed to the correct exit. She looked around for her friend. In the sky, in the trees, on top of buildings. Yang knew Blake had a thirty second head start, but didn't think she would be breaking mach speed to get away from her. Based on the training they have done together, the brawler knew her partner's techniques. One of them was to not leave a trail. She didn't want to quit, but she wasn't going to run herself across Vale to find a single shadow. She casually walked back to the library and fought with dialogue to get Blake's ID. It took the lie of her father dying and she had to run to the emergency room to get it back.

In the dorm room, Ruby and Weiss were already asleep. She looked towards Blake's bed and found it empty. It was wishful thinking that it would end that easy for her, but it didn't hurt to hope. She slinked into her nightwear and into the top bunk. She lay on her back, arm used to prop her head up, staring up at the ceiling wondering what just happened.

" _Talk about surprises, the Faunus gets first place. The only bigger surprise that could trump is if Ruby was pregnant. That was... that was something. Go in for an innocent study session, end it with a make out session. Had to shake off the cobwebs at first, but I could tell I was getting in my groove as she let out a soft moan at the end. Stop... stop bragging for a moment. You can pat yourself on the back later that you've still got it._ " Yang smiled from ear to ear. " _Totally still got it. Kissed a lot of people in my life. Never was a friend, though. Never was someone I've already had plenty of time with and got to know already. The last thing I want to do was hurt her. She left scared and I don't think it was because we were caught. She would have left with me, but buried her face in embarrassment. I guess the only thing I can do now is wait..._ "

Yang replaced her arm with the pillow as it was already losing feeling. Before falling asleep, she couldn't stop thinking about Blake. She wanted to stay up and see if she would walk through the door, but her determination couldn't keep her awake. She slowly drifted in-and-out of sleep as the smallest of noises would alert her to wake. Morning came, and still no Blake in her bed. Yang shook it off and proceeded with the day as usual. She figured Blake would have to come home at some point. As the night winded down, the results didn't change. The bed below empty and Yang went from worried to concerned. She sat up and waited all night, occupying herself with her scroll to keep her attention. The sun came up and nothing. Unless Blake learned a secret technique to not be seen or heard, then Yang was certain she was gone.

Yang decided to root herself in the room. Blake was going to came back here at some point and it was now time to play the waiting game. She sent Ruby off to bring breakfast back and was keeping her trips to the bathroom minimal. She was not going to miss the Faunus' return.

Ruby returned with a two bowls of cereal, toasts, and milk for the both of them. The little sister did not like seeing her older sister in such a predicament. Also, cradling with her legs to her chest rocking back-and-forth wasn't a sign of a healthy mind. "Ya-yang. Is everything alright?"

If there was one person she would never lie to, Ruby was that person. The added layer of it being about her teammates made it a greater priority. "No, not really, Sis."

"You want to talk about it?" Ruby cautiously asked. Yang didn't know how she looked, but unkempt hair and a bugged eyes look wasn't a flourishing style for her.

Yang jumped down from the bed. She wasn't superstitious, but chose to sit on Weiss's bed in favor of Blake's. "Set the tray over on the shelf, Ruby. It's story time."

The little red huntress did as instructed as sat down next to her sister. "This isn't like the stories you used to read me as a kid, is it?"

"No. this is a story of a blonde girl who might have made a mistake." With that lead in, Yang continued to tell her sister of the night's events. The studying session, surprise kiss, Yang's libido taking over, Blake rushing out of room, and why she hasn't been around the last couple of days. "Ruby... I don't have the slightest idea where she is. I don't know if she's alright. It's all my fault. Maybe if I didn't kiss back. Us getting get wrapped up in our little world and get found out... It could have been a simple kiss, but I wanted more. I'm so greedy."

There was a small silence after the confession. Yang didn't expect her sister's tiny arms to wrap around her. She could feel the warmth of teardrops on her bare shoulder as Ruby was crying. "I'm so sorry, Sis. I knew something was wrong, but I didn't say anything."

Yang was amused by her sister's reaction. That last thing she needed was a scolding and it looks as if her sister was still too young to give her lectures. Yang moved her sister upright and grabbed a tissue, wiping away the tears. "It's fine. To be honest, I probably wouldn't have accepted help. I was very much holding onto the hope Blake would come back on her own. As endearing as it is Little Sis, Big Sis needs some help, so let's regroup and think of something."

Ruby smiled back at her sister and wiped the residual tears from her eyes. She nodded and thought about it. "You do anything that might have hurt her?"

It was an obvious no from her perspective, but the only way to really make sure she didn't hurt her was to look at it from a different position. Her and Blake have talked of past exploits. "Well, you know how I kissed back. The thought that went though my head was 'Pretty girl kissed me, kiss back and get more.'" Yang covered her eyes as the embarrassment of the caveman like instinct hit her. "It was such a reflex to catch your prey, lip lock with them, and successfully drag them back to their own den and leave the next morning."

"Eww. Too many details, Sis."

Yang looked back at the number. It wasn't high, but it was much higher than Blake's respectable one. "It's probably a few too many partners I've had, Ruby. Played with even more people's hearts with some teasing and less turned into anything more than that. The only reason I'm telling you is this is that I've told Blake all of this information. We both know our sexual pasts and maybe she was turned off by the number. What if she thought she would be another notch on my bedpost? That's certainly the way I've been presenting myself in my retelling of the stories. None of those people I've slept with lasted longer than a few months anyhow. Weeks a couple of them. I can see her running away from such a possibility."

Yang never felt shameful about her past, but she didn't think that it could sneak up her like this. Ruby was ready to respond after taking in too private of information. "I really wish you didn't tell me that, but you do make a point. I guess if people knew, it could be intimidating, but there is a way you can make it better."

"How?"

"Well, do you like her?" Ruby innocently asked. Yang knew the answer to that question. It was a resounding yes, but Ruby knew what she was really asking.

"I have been thinking about it. I do like her. Probably more than most of the people that I've been involved with. It's just a different perspective this time around. All the others were people I've met, not people I've known. I know plenty about Blake already. Definitely all the questions you ask on the first few dates and a couple you ask privately when you feel like teasing. She's pretty impressive and, I'm not going to lie, she has that mysterious look to her that's attractive in it's own right. I've caught myself a few times fixating on her amber eyes. Pretty easy to get lost in. Slender legs and have caught a glimpse of a firm butt when those coattails flap up. I love the way she rolls her eyes at my jokes, but still smiles. The way she lets me sleep in her bed as long as it doesn't bother her from reading. She compliments my fighting style perfectly. Couldn't ask for a better partner. Now that we know there are ears under the bow, I've noticed whenever she hears something intriguing, they twitch. Like there was this one time when we were watching a movie and... " Yang caught herself in the explanation and blushed in the realization. "Oh my gosh, I'm gushing. When did this happen?"

Ruby laughed as she had figured out Yang's feelings were greater than she realized mid-explanation. "Didn't think I'd ever see this, but I think you're falling for her in front of my eyes."

Yang flushed even harder. She didn't realize all the time she would be spending together with Blake would culminate to love stronger than that of their partnership. "I did... I did like kissing her. Lips were soft, moist, tender. Hair well kept. Wanted to run my hands through it Probably silky like the delicate contours of her body."

Ruby plugged her ears and started humming to herself, indicating to Yang that it was wise to stop. She pulled her sister's fingers out and told her it was safe for virgin ears again. "Well, you definitely are attracted to her. Both aspects, physically and emotionally. If I had to bet on it, maybe she was meant to mean more than the others."

Yang let it all sink in. She felt her heart beating faster as she thought of the great sensation that is love. "I hope you allow dating within the team, Ruby. Pretty sure you have two teammates that are foolishly head-over-heels with one another."

Ruby smiled big as they crossed the first obstacle of this problem. They let out a cheerful squeal while Ruby chanted 'Yang's in love.' loud enough for the floor to hear.

The two settled down and took the next step in finding out why Blake left. "This is a head-scratcher, Ruby. I understand if my past is intimidating, I also understand if kissing me could mess up our friendship, but Blake isn't a coward. She would run away from a much greater threat."

"It's because she's a Faunus and you're a human."

Both sisters looked at the doorway to see the ice princess at the frame with a cup and saucer. She took a sip with her smug answer.

"How did you know what we were talking about?" Ruby asked with pure curiosity.

"You left the door open. I came in and saw Yang on the bed with her face in her hands. I thought she was crying until I heard about the library. Seems you were able to chase off Blake more effectively than me, Yang."

Yang wanted to make a comment back to Weiss, but the princess was onto something. "Care to explain your hypothesis, bright eyes."

"It should be obvious. Faunus are still considered second class citizens. I know you see it from a very liberal perspective, but I was raised in a family who hated them, grew up in a society where it was alright to think of them as lower than me, witnessed how humans treat Faunus cruelly and have it be acceptable. She's protecting you, Yang... from all of that."

Yang soaked in the ice princess' words. She forgets that although some humans have a friendlier aspect towards the race, there are still plenty of parts that still cling on to the discriminatory acts of the past. With the government backing them, and no signs of it changing soon, it was the most logical conclusion. Weiss continued.

"That Faunus has a really hard crush on you to say the least. The way you describe the kiss at the library, she was alright with continuing if it weren't for the glorious interruption. She's probably been burying these feelings inside her to keep this from happening. She left to make sure you cooled down and have it be a non-issue when she returned. She cares a lot for you, Yang. Enough to selflessly put her feelings aside for you to live freely."

Weiss helped Yang connect the dots. It wasn't a perfect picture, but it was the best they could go off of. Now the last thing left was, "Where is she then?"

"I wouldn't worry too much about that. She's a big girl and can handle herself. Besides, she'll be back," Weiss answered with confidence.

"How can you be so calm about it?" Yang answered with heat in her voice.

"While you were pouring your heart out to Ruby, I too was curious as to where she was. I checked Beacon's records and found she is still an enrolled student. Blake is also very studious. She's not about to miss an Oobleck exam. It would guarantee her an automatic fail. She worked too hard to get where she is and isn't about to squander it because she's having a tiff with you."

"So what you're saying is that no doubt I will see her tomorrow?" Yang questioned.

"This hypothesis has the Schnee stamp of approval on it. I suggest working on what you're going to say to her," Weiss said as she took a seat next to Ruby and another sip of her tea.

All the pieces were fitting together. Yang didn't like prepared speeches, however. She was better at speaking off the cuff anyways. There was only one choice left. "Girls, I'm studying with you today."

Weiss had to control herself from spitting out her tea. Ruby's reaction was more than pleased. "Hooray Sis. We've been looking for a way to shake things up a bit."

"Before you get my vote, I better hear a good reason," Weiss conjectured.

Yang stood up in front of the duo. "Blake's smart. She'll get through that test in lightning speed and who knows how long before another window opens. I need to be as good, no, better than her. I need to be able to time my exit with hers. I'm the only one who can put the team back together at the moment. Please, Weiss. You're the smartest in class. Surely you can help this dunce."

The ice princess stood there with a judging stare. She was alright with Ruby and her antics, but having the sisters in one room could be chaotic. Weiss let out a deep sigh. "Fine. I'll help you study so you can get your Faunus girlfriend."

Yang rather liked hearing the term girlfriend in junction with Blake.

Weiss continued. "But I need a full effort from you. You want to be as good as me, you have to do the best that I can do, not your best."

Yang cupped the pointing finger of Weiss, crushing it with her enthusiasm. "No problem. You will have my full attention." She then directed her full attention to Ruby and tackled her to the bed. "I'm going to go get Blake back. You might have already met my next girlfriend, Sis."

Ruby got up and cheered around with her sister as Weiss rolled her eyes and finished her tea. As the afternoon rolled around, the three parts of team RWBY got down to business. Yang regret the decision to study almost immediately. Although Weiss and Ruby's collective notes were organized, well documented, and easy to read, the length of their notes seemed longer than the chapters they were responsible for. "You can't be serious? All of this?" Yang questioned as she flipped through the stack.

"And to think we're not done yet. We still have the last part of the fifteenth chapter. We'll cut you some slack, Yang. Study that to your heart's content and we'll finish up the rest." Ruby said. Weiss gave the leader a mean glare from the loose rules she was giving her older sister, but there was no time for fighting.

Yang looked at the first page and was intimidated. Half the information she knew from her study sessions with Blake, but did she really need to know such specific dates? Yang didn't want to protest further. She was not a fan of studying, but she wasn't about to let Blake slip through her fingers so easily. She buckled down. They ordered pizza, drank, and had small breaks, but in time the sun was setting, Yang had the confidence enough to be able to answer any question flawlessly. At this point, however, she had burnt herself out. The lack of sleep was catching up to her and felt herself nod off while reviewing the next bullet point.

Ruby was the first to notice and rushed to her sister's side. "Yang, go to bed. You're exhausting yourself. Weiss and I were going to turn in soon anyways."

"Yeah. You did great Yang. You were answering with speed with my quiz questions." Weiss added.

Yang tiredly glanced into her sister's gentle gray eyes. "I got this?"

The little red one smiled back. "You totally got this. Blake will be yours by this time tomorrow. I promise." Ruby came in for a hug, but pushed herself under her sister to get her on her two feet. She propped the zombie Yang to bed. Ruby slipped a cover over her and a mumbled form of gratitude came out. Before Yang knew it, she slipped into sleep and was woken up by the ice princess' alarm clock.

Weiss jumped out of her bottom bunk on queue. Not because it was an exam day, she just hates using the bathroom last. Yang was refreshed, but sore. She was out longer than she realized. Yang didn't waste time either. As soon as Weiss left the bathroom, she claimed it and had Ruby to get breakfast. The blonde took her beauty regimen down a notch to spare herself a few minutes she used for cramming.

As the three got to the class fifteen minutes early, Yang looked and the classroom was empty except for the few early birds. She hoped Blake would be one, but she banked on her plan to sit in the back and watch for the Faunus to show up. Yang and the team separated, but not before giving their best wishes. She took her spot in the middle of the back row. As the time drew nearer, the students were filing in. First being Ren, with a notebook close to his face with Nora not far behind with her cheer. Cardin and a couple more from Team CRDL came next. Yang was getting herself increasingly stressed as the time was almost up. The only thing to calm her in the almost-filled room was when Pyrrha and Jaune came in hand and hand. " _Aww, that could be me and Blake, if that Faunus shows up. Please don't be wrong, Weiss. All my eggs are in this basket right now and I'm sort of having a freakout. Come on, Blake, don't flake._ "

Oobleck was already giving instructions to the class as the time drew nearer. Seconds felt like years as Yang's attention kept darting back between both entrances. Before Oobleck gave the orders to shut the doors, Yang could see the black-haired girl with the bow rushing towards her seat. The weight of a thousand suns lifted from her as she saw her plan start rolling. Oobleck passed out the exams, Yang's place in the class set her back, but she took that test head on. Ninety percent of the questions she blew past in an instant. Yang was praising her sister and the ice princess the entire way through. A small blow to her ego did occur as Weiss and Ren were the first to finish, but Yang had a couple pages left. Not a big deal until she saw Blake get up with her exam finished. Yang panicked and marked C on the last answers and flew down the opposite steps as Blake was quickly making her escape.

Yang bolted out of the class and looked for the Faunus. She was making her way towards the entrance and Yang yelled out to her. "Blake, wait!"

Blake clearly heard the blonde's cry and took her brisk walk to a full sprint.

" _Oh no, you don't. You're not getting away that easy,_ " Yang mumbled to herself. During the sprint across the campus barriers, Yang kept Blake in her sights. Instead of yelling for her, she saved her breath and kept the pursuit strong. She knew Beacon was huge, but never got a full appreciation for the architecture until she was bouncing in-and-off of tower rooftops. Yang couldn't believe that the Faunus was almost in her grasp. A few more careful jumps and she would be able to pounce on Blake.

" _She's mine. Come here, kitty kitty._ " Yang jumped and got her within range to make the final leap and snag the Faunus. Then a loud rustling and blackness came before her. Yang lost her flow as she crashed into the blackness. A bout of feathers and a gush of blood was around her as a murder of crows were fleeing from the crashing noises of the chase. By the time Yang oriented herself, Blake was nowhere to be seen. She slammed hard on her knees and pounded her fists into the ground cursing.

"I was so close! So freaking close! Train all my life to be a huntress and simple crows get in my way." Yang was on all fours, feeling victory slip from her as defeat was sinking in. She was almost at the brink of crying until a small tap hit her shoulder. Yang looked up through glossy eyes and Blake stood there with hand outstretched. She reached for it, as if by reflex, to make sure she caught Blake. The Faunus hand trucked her up to her feet and proceeded to dust gravel and feathers off Yang from her tumble.

"You have a few scrapes. Nothing your aura can't fix," Blake monotonously stated. Yang stood, completely stunned at the fact of her partner's return. "Let go of my hand or I can't get the rest of you."

"Thanks for the help, but if I let go, you might disappear again," Yang said, staring into the amber eyes of the Faunus. Blake realized her kindness did indeed trap her as Yang's grip tightened around her delicate fingers. "Is it alright if we talk?"

Blake was too afraid to make eye contact in Yang's face to answer. She simply nodded and that was enough for her to start. "So... where were you?"

The Faunus was determined to not look Yang in the face and responded to the ground. "I was fine. I was staying at a motel and eating out for food. I wasn't wandering with another Faunus like last time."

Yang was relieved to hear she was as responsible as she came off. The blonde's grip tightened in fear of the response to the next question. "Why did you kiss me?"

Blake bit her bottom lip. Yang could feel her palm getting slick with sweat as the Faunus was nervously looking in herself for the courage to answer. "I think it should be obvious. Why does anybody kiss anyone? It's because they like them." Yang felt a tremor flow through her from Blake, her heart pounding as Blake looked up to Yang with tearful amber eyes. "I-I like you, Yang."

Yang has heard confessions before. She was flattered by all of them, but this time was different. Blake had struck a chord deep within Yang that almost crippled her on the spot. Hearing the three simple words that change relationships, the confident woman felt an entirely new weight on her as she was holding Blake's heart in her hand.

"I don't know when it started. When I was gone, I was trying to pin point it... the best I could come up with is that the more I spent time with you, the more you grew on me and one day it all clicked and these feelings were pouring out of me. I didn't mean for it to happen. I was careless. I let my emotions get the better of me, and before I knew it, my lips were already on yours. I'm so sorry..."

Yang had been spellbound by the amber eyes. They were shaking from the fluid, but they were telling the truth. The Faunus was scared and a tear streaked down her face, but Blake was able to grab it.

"Don't... don't be sorry. That kiss. It was pretty awesome," Yang said trying to fight a smile in front of the teary Faunus. "I-I rather enjoyed it. If it wasn't for that I wouldn't have come to my own conclusion. I like you too."

Blake's eyes popped at the confession. Another tear came down and Yang used her thumb to wipe it away. "Ruby was the one who helped me on that one. I didn't realize how much you mean to me. How much you've integrated yourself into my life. Granted, it was me pulling you in, but you rooted yourself deep into my heart."

Blake smiled. It was weak, but it seemed hearing those three words work in any situation. "I almost wish I didn't hear that."

"I could guess the reason, but I'd rather hear it from you," Yang responded.

"I hid my feelings because human and Faunus relationships are frowned upon. Growing up and being in The White Fang, I saw my people get mistreated and disrespected, abused even. Society didn't care. They looked away or even supported the treatment. I can't have you around that, Yang. It would only cause problems for you and I'm not selfish enough to make you go through with that."

Yang wanted to give a cake to the Schnee heiress when she gets back for being right on the dot. It seems her lifelong feud with the Faunus did give her handy information on how the world really works. "That's nice, but I would have rather us talk about it before you ran off. You just assumed that I would discount a relationship because of the hardships. Nothing in this world worth having comes easy. I believe that you are worth having. I believe what you say... that it may get hard for us at times, but I really don't care what others think if I walk into a restaurant with you and we get stares. Certainly don't mind a physical confrontation if it comes down to it. Yes, you surprised me, but it wasn't because you're a Faunus. I already like you, Blake. The idea of going further doesn't deter me, it actually kind of makes my heart flutter. I want to do this. I want to be with you."

Blake's smiled widened, tears receding back into their ducts. The Faunus squeezed back on Yang's hand as the blonde released her grip, knowing that she wasn't going to flee. "I assume you've put more thought into this than the damaged pretty girl needs a shoulder to cry on."

Yang smiled at the jest of the Faunus. The barriers of tension slowly being withdrawn. "You made me think about a lot of things. You'd be impressed, I assure you."

The two stood in the awkward, but pleasant, silence. Now with feelings reciprocated, Yang found it hard to look into the glowing amber orbs of her partner. Seemed the feeling was mutual as Blake caught herself turning pink from the admiration. The Faunus shuffled and, with a quiet voice, she innocently asked, "So, want to go get lunch?"

Yang was hungry, but was going to have this make up have closure. "Yeah. Just one more thing."

Using her free hand, Yang pushed the dark hair behind the ear of the Faunus. Gazing deep into her amber eyes, she locked target and slowly closed her eyes as she moved in. Yang smiled into the kiss as Blake matched her felicity and let out a small laugh as their lips brushed together. The blonde had partners before, but nothing was as electrifying as when she kissed the Faunus, her heart racing from the adrenaline of kissing someone meaningful. As their lips overlapped, Yang pulled her new Faunus girlfriend in closer, guiding her by the waist. Blake's free hand moved behind Yang's neck, almost hanging off it. With her partner in her embrace, Yang could feel the gentle warmth flowing into her, appreciating her small form fitting within her arms and the wild beating of her heart.

They separated to catch themselves before it got out of hand. With the kiss, Yang forged a relationship with Blake that she never considered before, but stronger than any relationship previous. She gave a quick up-down of her partner, the Faunus glowing in the presence of her crush. Yang kept her girlfriend's hand in hers as they descended to the mess hall. Not wanting to bring more male attention than either of them are used to, they took their meals to their room and enjoyed serenity as a couple. Yang didn't know when Ruby or Weiss would come back, but she found that some alone time was well earned from the both of them.

Yang was usually very aggressive when it came to romance. Physically, at least, but she had never pushed herself emotionally to this degree. Thinking back to the past seventy-two hours was a snowball effect of confusion and fear. Slumped up next to the bookshelf, a chicken bake in one hand and her partner in the other was a good way to rest the craziness she had to endure.

The sun crept through the curtains and Yang moved the two to the bed. The blonde found it weird to be sitting in Blake's spot as it wasn't her bed. The Faunus didn't seem to care as she snuggled opposite side of the window. She let out a small yawn.

"Tired?" Yang asked, knowing the answer.

"Long day, even longer night," Blake responded as she buried her face into Yang's shoulder. "Tried studying alone and memorize the material so I could beat you out of there."

Yang let out a small laugh to the answer. "Didn't think I'd put that much effort into studying, did you? Matched your pace."

"I hope you did and not put C for every answer to get to me," Blake quietly said as she was nesting into Yang.

"I didn't... for all of them. You could have gotten away, though. Why did you come back?"

There was a small silence as the beat Faunus was thinking. She tightened her one armed grip around Yang's waist. "I think, deep down, I wanted to be caught."

Seemed the fires of love stoked the brawler's aura as heat transferred from her to Blake. On cold days like this, Yang found her aura beyond useful. Today she found a new use for it, supporting Blake. The Faunus gave her appreciation of the warmth with a playful moan. Yang placed her hand on the one on her stomach, entwining their fingers. " _I won't let these go. I'll protect them... protect her._ "


	3. Weiss: A Frigid Fighter

I do want to say, sorry to the Bumblebee fans cause we're going for some White Rose for the next couple of chapters. I do hope you stick around and like it regardless if it isn't you favorite pairing. Anyways before you start, I want to ask the audience a question. I was going to have blocks of two chapters per pairing (Y/B, Y/B, R/W, R/W, Y/B ect...) I like giving characters their own spotlight per chapter initially to get their feelings and emotions before I start intertwining them as a couple. However because of the way each couple is progressing, there will be a lot of back and forth in terms of time if I keep it the way I intended. In the reviews please add if you want it as is or would having it chronological from this point forward be better. Also again, thanks for the fav/follows and reviews and another shout out again to my artist Bakki on DeviantArt, who did a lovely White Rose picture for this chapter. Enjoy.

Weiss: A Frigid Fighter

The life of being a student in the passing months since the attack on her family's company were more than welcoming for the heiress. Attend class, train, study, repeat. The field trips to fight actual Grimm were a nice way to break up the routine. Least it wasn't crazed militia members of an unknown organization or the Faunus. After Blake's reveal of her Faunus ears, Weiss wanted to hang out more and get to know the other half of her team better. Once she was able to bury her prejudice, the idea of getting to know a Faunus and befriend one was a side goal outside of academia. Unfortunately, the one obstacle getting in her way at every opportunity was Yang. Weiss couldn't count the amount of times the two had gone out together, but it was frustrating when she was trying to get to know Blake as a teammate and the blonde would drag her out at every possibility.

Weiss couldn't help but feel slightly jealous as the two were progressing in their relationship. The fact she envied the most is that Yang seemed to put a smile on Blake's face so effortlessly that even Weiss would turn her frown upside down with the brawler's teasing of the Faunus. Perhaps one day, if the two would get separated at the hip, Weiss could move in and hang out with Blake. Till then, it was her, textbooks, and her partner, Ruby.

Weiss could tell by the way Yang and Ruby act they they were related by blood. Where as Yang was a more outgoing and flirtatious type, Ruby was slightly harder to crack until she was her energetic optimistic self. Being her partner for six months was enough time for the young leader to be her full self around the team. Weiss was no pessimist, but the openly cheerful nature of her partner was tearing at times.

With Yang and Blake gone for just about every event, Weiss was left with Ruby. The heiress had an inkling that the bigger sister was forcing the two to be together. The white-haired girl wasn't against it, everyone needs to learn how to make friends, but Weiss took her studies seriously. When Ruby is messing about and not taking the exams earnestly is when she starts to get irritable.

"I swear, if you don't stop trying to balance pencils on your fingertips I'm going to throw you out of this room. Bury yourself in these pages," Weiss growled. The girl in the red cape dropped the pencils to the wooden table with a small clatter. Ruby face planted into her book, meshing the hair into her pages.

"There. Is this what you want?" the younger girl sarcastically said. Weiss' prominent scowl grew even more as she saw her request be taken literally.

"Unless you're using osmosis and absorbing the information through your thick skull, then no. Come on, Ruby. Take this sincerely. I know you're a brilliant kid. It's why you're here so young, but we need to study. Grades don't come from sitting around doing nothing," the ice princess lectured.

Ruby begrudgingly grunted as she rose from the textbook. "I know, Weiss. You can stop nagging me. We've been doing this since noon. It's four-thirty. I'm bored. You only can look at black text on a white background for so long. Look at our notes too. I say we earned a small break."

Weiss couldn't help, but feel the weight of her own fatigue as Ruby pointed it out. Definitely didn't know what time it was in their windowless study room in the library. If it wasn't for the box of cookies Ruby brought, she would have missed lunch too. "Fine. What do you propose we do? You got fifteen minutes."

"Forty-five minutes."

"Half an hour."

"Done. Come on, pack up your things. I don't know about you, but if we come back to this room, I'm setting it on fire. We'll just study in our room after," Ruby proposed.

Weiss agreed. The boring white panels, whiteboard, white paneled table were staring to meld together. Only the chairs and floor were a dark hue of gray. Ruby and Weiss walked back to there room, dropped off their stuff, and the two headed outside to the Beacon courtyard. Ruby suggested a walk around the campus. She was sick of sitting. Even Weiss had to admit that her legs were stiffening from not moving around too much. The heiress took studying seriously. Being a child of a wealthy and prestigious family meant you had to adhere to a certain standard. Luckily, Weiss was a natural at school, but being top ten percent was considered a disappointment to her parents and worked harder to become number one. When she mentioned she wanted to become a huntress, her parents laughed at the idea until they put into focus of people like Pyrrha. Schnee was a household name, but never had a face to the company. Weiss didn't want to think the reason she's at Beacon is solely because her parents wanted to groom a celebrity huntress, but she didn't live in fairy tales.

When Ruby asked for a break, she was more reluctant than she realized. At times, she felt her grades meant more to her parents than her, so slacking off like this felt slightly rebellious, but more importantly, free. Freedom was the definition of Ruby. She seemed to do what she wanted with no restrictions. Through perseverance and skill, she was one of the marvels of Beacon. Weiss envied the spirit of her leader. She could have been a baker and no one would have batted an eyelash. But it's the same spirit that she is helping Weiss with her own goals.

Ruby took Weiss to the gardens. Seemed every prestigious academy had a place to sit down and enjoy nature. Even though her home had a garden that could rival Beacon's, she never had someone to enjoy it with. Ruby, obviously, had an affinity for roses. It was against the rules to pick flowers from the garden, but Ruby couldn't help herself and snip one from the flora from time to time to brighten up the room.

Ruby took a deep inhalation of the garden around her. "Feel the amazing sensations of smelling a dozen bushes of flowers, Weiss. Certainly made my mood better."

Weiss took small sniffs with her petite nose. "I actually just smell the fertilizer," Weiss depressingly said.

Ruby reached out and dragged her friend to where she was standing. Weiss wriggled her hand out of her grasp out of embarrassment. She hated being reared like a child. "Come on. One more time," silver eyes twinkling.

Weiss tried as ordered, but still wasn't feeling the wonder that her partner was sensing. "Now it's just air. Come on, Ruby. Let's just go back. I'll get some tea and we can smell the soothing aroma of..."

The heiress was cut off as she was blinded by a pair of small hands. She let out a small yelp at the surprise, but considering it was just Ruby, she decided to play around. "What's with this, Ruby? Seriously get off me."

"Relax. It's time you stop and smell the roses." Weiss' muscles relaxed and tensed up again as Ruby's chest pressed up against her back. The heiress forcing herself to suppress the blush making its way to her cheeks. The caped girl didn't let go of the wriggling one and pressed harder into her embrace. "Relax, Weiss."

The ice princess submitted, standing still as the leader placed her chin on the slender shoulder. Feeling the warm breath of Ruby's exhalation on her shoulder made it almost impossible to focus on anything other than keeping her heart rate down. With extreme concentration, Weiss was able to follow Ruby's request. "Alright, you win. Can you let go now?"

"Not yet. I blinded you for a reason. With one less stimuli, I want you to concentrate on the others," Ruby whispered in her ear. "Also, can you not frown while doing this? I can feel your eyebrows furrowed." Weiss did as she was told. She let the fight for sight go and concentrated on the smells around her. The heiress could feel Ruby's grip loosen as she was fixating on the scents, her leader suppressing giggles as she took a deep intake of the area.

"I-I smell something. It's pleasant."

"What's it smell like?"

"It's very sweet. Soothing, but very familiar... Wait a minute." Weiss was able to break free of Ruby's loosened grasp, spin her around, and cuff her wrists. Icy blue eyes glared down at the silver ones, scared at the flipped situation. "Ruby, you used my shampoo, didn't you?"

Ruby's eyes darted at the accusation, still not diverting back to Weiss' as she answered. "Perhaps..." she meekly got out. Weiss was around Ruby long enough to know when she was lying. To further criminalize the younger girl, the heiress got closer and took a couple more good sniffs.

"You totally smell like vanilla. Why didn't you ask me first before using it?"

"I woke up before you. You look very peaceful when you sleep and I thought if I used the minimal amount to wash my short hair you wouldn't notice," Ruby confessed. Her big, silver eyes, truly sorry for her minor transgression, were glistening with a small layer of fluid. Weiss' cheeks tinted at the charm of the puppy-dog eyes, body tensing again as she was mesmerized by the beauty. Before admitting to any of the attributes, Weiss flicked Ruby's forehead.

"Ow," the leader cried out, rubbing the spot tenderly.

"Ask next time. Let's go back. It's about time." Weiss proceeded out of the garden when Ruby grabbed her wrist again. the snow-haired girl turned to address the ball and chain.

"Come on, Weiss. Blake and Yang do so much together. It's not every minute studying and then see each other till the next session. I know we see a lot of each other because we're partners, but can we at least have a little fun today."

Weiss couldn't help, but see her point. Yang and Blake don't just act like partners, but friends. Something that was foreign to the heiress. Because she didn't know too much about being a good friend, only a good colleague, she figured that abiding to the leader's request would only be beneficial. "Fine," she said through rolled eyes. "I want full attention tomorrow, though. We'll have one of those slumber parties since the other two are at an Achieve Men concert."

Rudy's eyes lit up at the decision. "Come on. It's only five. Let's kick back and watch the clouds." Ruby scrambled to the manicured, grassy lawn, patting the ground to have Weiss come sit next to her. The two sat on the grass and stared at the glorious nimbuses coasting in the skyline. Weiss was smart enough to know that none of the clouds looked like what they said they were, but were projections of what they wanted them to be. The heiress couldn't help, but be concerned at all the clouds were reminders of her partner. Cookies, a scythe, a rosebud, and even a puppy's face were some of the many visuals that were trademarks of her partner. Weiss lied to Ruby on what she was seeing. No doubt she would never hear the end of it if she knew the heiress had her on the mind.

As the sun was setting, the girls got ready for their slumber party. Weiss had a single rule of no cookies, but real food as lunch was mainly the chocolaty snack anyways. Ruby couldn't have been more deflated, but it was no secret that Yang kept some snacks under the bed. No doubt that the both of them would partake in the stash for some dessert. The two got in their pajamas and started having one-on-one girl time. Luckily, since they've been in school, finding time to go down to Vale's old town and catch a movie was difficult. Since then, plenty have come out for the two to enjoy in the dorm room.

Fighting for which movie to watch was hard, but not impossible. Ruby liked mindless action, whereas Weiss liked movies with more restraint and had at least some theme to it. About three movies in, Ruby was starting to nod off. Weiss was invested enough into the movie to finish it to the end. She usually hated when the girl was shoehorned into a plot to simply be the romantic interest, but the characters were likable and had good chemistry. As the story was finishing, she felt the void of someone meaningful in her life like that. She looked down at her partner, dozed off by her accounts.

" _I wish I had someone to call my own. Then again, I just made actual friends. Friends that would take a hit for me, friends that would give an organ... friends that would take me out of my freakishly rigid comfort zone to watch movies all night with me._ " She looked down at her team leader. Already tired her energetic self out for the day and resting calmly on her shoulder. " _I owe a lot of thanks to you. If I didn't stumble upon you in the Emerald Forest, I wouldn't be here right now. I wouldn't be happy._ " A draft of wind entered the room. Weiss closed the window the best she could without waking her partner. Feeling the cold herself, Weiss wrapped her arm around the sleeping Ruby, keeping the heat between them. Weiss decided she'd leave once her leader was sound asleep. She closed her eyes only to reopen them at the sound of the door slamming.

Weiss came out of her slumber to hear the other sister come in with Blake. "Admit it. You liked coming out to a big loud event filled with people screaming lyrics to the Achieve Men."

Blake smiled away from Yang, clearly not wanting for the blonde to have the satisfaction of showing her a good time. "It was a different kind of fun, but lets make them few and far between." Blake looked up, pink tint on her cheeks to see Weiss' crystal eyes peeping open, adjusting to the bedroom lighting.

"Hey, Weiss. Sorry to wake you up. Why are you in Ruby's bed?" Blake inquired.

Yang zeroed in on the plastic wrappings on the floor, picked it up and sniffed the wrapper. "And why did you girls go through my private stash?"

Weiss' brain was more alert and ready to snap back. "Your stash isn't so secret, Yang. Ruby found it first week. I'm up here because me and her were watching movies and we must have fallen asleep. Sorry to eat the snacks, though." Weiss felt a warm moisture on her shoulder as she moved to get out of the bed. She looked over to see a glopping drool puddle on her blue nightie.

"Eww! Get off me, you dolt," Weiss screamed, waking up a frantic Ruby, who was getting shoved to her wall. Weiss leaped off the bed and got a handkerchief out of her drawers to wipe away the spit.

"Wha-what happened?" A very tired Ruby barely got out.

"You drooled on me. I got to change," Weiss announced as she stormed into the bathroom with clean sleepwear. Weiss took off she singlet and lightly washed the spittle away.

" _I swear. She takes one step forward and then two steps back in my opinion of her. Calm down, Weiss. It was an honest mistake, even though her playful antics causes a lot of those to happen._ " Weiss put on her spare pajamas and looked back into the mirror. " _Whomever ends up dating Ruby Rose better be flexible in how they live._ "

* * *

A few weeks had passed since the slumber party. Weiss got over being mad the next day and studies resumed as usual with another Oobleck exam on the horizon. The heiress had to admit that history was about as interesting as a wet rag. During study sessions, she would get caught up with Ruby and her antics to make the subject tolerable. However, playing around put them behind schedule slightly, leaving a small amount of information left before they could review properly.

Weiss went to get some brewed tea in the mess hall. When she woke up this morning, she knew she would need the soothing feel of chamomile. It was going to be a long night. As she was approaching her dorm, she saw a sight that she didn't think she would see. Yang had her face in her palms and was crying. With Ruby on the bed next to her, Weiss didn't see the need to intrude. For all she knew, it was a family moment and it was best to stay out of it, until she realized what it was really about.

"Out of nowhere, Blake kissed me," Yang confessed.

Weiss almost dropped her cup and saucer at the admission. " _She what? I'm not normally one for rumors or gossip, but the truth in Yang's voice. She sounds so... conflicted._ " Weiss was on the emotional roller coaster with the other two. As the blonde continued, Weiss felt so close to her teammate, even though there was a wall separating them. Hearing Yang gush about the Faunus was so familiar to her and Ruby's relationship. Thinking about her partner as anything more than what she was did sicken her, but almost thought it was supposed to happen. " _Look at Jaune and Pyrrha. Green eyes sought out boy wonder for whatever reason. We could have been the perfect team. It's no secret that Blake was looking for Yang in the Emerald Forest and look at where they seem to be heading. Ren and Nora is up in the air, but knowing a boy's mentality, a spunky redhead is probably not a deal breaker. Does that mean, Ruby and... No. We can't be that close, can we?_ "

When Weiss was broken out of her inner thoughts, she came in to point out the obvious to the sisters. So many conflicts with the Faunus and The White Fang organization gave a real world perceptive at an early age. Unfortunately, it did give her the unhealthy prejudice for a race that just wants to be treated equal. If anything, this was her first step in rehabilitation, helping the Faunus get a human girlfriend. Weiss had to admit she wasn't as fond of the idea as she was inclining. It's nice and quiet in the room. Waking up to the passionate sounds of lovemaking was not something she was looking forward to, but who was she to deny the Faunus love.

Yang begged to help her study for the test. Weiss knew how much they had to do, but if they were to take a vote, she would soundly lose. With the promise of both girls' attention, she worked with Yang. She was amazed that the blonde would be so determined to get Blake back. Granted, it was the Faunus that kissed first, but it seemed to have awakened the fire in Yang. Maybe it was because she never studied with her, but the blonde was resolute.

The ladies studied well into the night. Weiss had to give props to Yang for almost memorizing the material her and Ruby had so carefully constructed. Weiss couldn't imagine the stress being put on her in bringing the team back together, but she saw it in Yang's emotions as she was starting to nod off. Ruby sent her to bed. When she could hear the small sounds of snoring, Weiss felt free to talk.

"Your sister is something else, Ruby. I know Yang isn't stupid as she is in an academy, but she always gave off the vibe that barely passing is alright with her. Didn't think she could commit like this," Weiss admitted.

"I know my sister gives off that vibe, but you should know by now how far she'll go for one of us. Well I guess she only stretched her neck out for me and Blake, but no doubt she wouldn't do the same for you now," Ruby assured.

"I'm actually sort of jealous of Blake. I know I shouldn't have eavesdropped earlier, but it gave me a little window into who your sister is. Sounded as if she would go the distance to get Blake back even if she didn't have feelings for her," Weiss said, downtrodden in her utterance.

Ruby picked up on her teammates tone. "Weiss, could you be looking for that special someone?"

The white-haired girl blushed a bit at their leaders perception. She turned away from the girl into her own notebook, unable to look the young leader in the eye. "You could say that. Now that I know what friendship looks like, I kind of want to know something even deeper."

"If we knew each other back then I certainly would have been your friend." Ruby put her hand on the other's shoulder. Weiss initially jumped at the touch, but smiled as she felt Ruby's warmth rub off on her.

"That's nice of you to say, Ruby, but I can name two people who would have been against you, my mother and father. Let's say that I was given friends. Friends that were pre-approved by my parents, friends that were sons and daughters of prominent investors... friends that I had no real connection with. You turn very cynical at a young age with my upbringing. Once you shatter the illusion your parents put up you turn... cold."

A small shiver went up Weiss's spine as Ruby slid down her arm and grasped her hand. "You're not the only one you had trouble making friends. They were few and far between for me. It wasn't a point of not being sociable, but I did find it easier to work with weapons than people. Then I entered Signal and I knew that if I really wanted to become a huntress that I would have to really had to sit down an concentrate. I want to blame Uncle Qrow for my social lameness, but he taught me how to build Crescent Rose and wield it properly enough to be Beacon material. It's how I grew so fond of weapons. A few mean-spirited remarks and there I was back in the shop working on her. However, you know the endgame was really nice. It led me to you."

Weiss looked down a the silver glistening eyes on Ruby, accented by the dim light of the study lamps on the bookshelf. The heiress could feel the heat in her cheeks as Ruby clasped the back of her hand, flustered completely at what her body was involuntarily doing. The young girl smiled sincerely at the comment. Weiss quietly disapproved of what her body was doing and put back on her scowl.

"I told you life is not a fairy tale. You act as if it were destiny we were to meet and be friends," Weiss scolded as she took her hand back. "Don't get me wrong, I can think of a worse scenario. Could have been partners with Cardin and the rest of those ruffians. I would like for you to take a look at this team, though. The only one that's functions well socially is your sister. I'm callous, Blake's anti-social because of her being a Faunus, and no offense, but you're a spaz."

"None taken. So... going to take a leap here. If there were no friends, there were probably no boyfriends either," Ruby shyly asked. The question piqued Weiss' interest.

"What's with this poking into my private life?" the heiress sternly asked.

"Come on. We never have girl talk. Almost all of our conversations are about school. I doubt Blake fell for my sister because of her knowledge of the weak spot of a Boarbatusk is on the unarmored side of its belly. Yang and her probably talked about themselves, got to know each other, and became closer. You talk about envious relationships, I'm envious that they could be so close. Let's face it. If I were to order down where I stand to you, I honestly think that classmate and partner come before friend."

Ruby's genuine admission did strike a chord in Weiss. Perhaps it was because their teammates were going through their own troubles that this discussion was even brought up, but she was glad it was. Weiss didn't like being cold, but it's always been hard for her to trust people who claimed they cared for her. The light snoring in the background did give a nudge in the direction Ruby wanted. The ice princess closed the notebook to Ruby's wish and rested her head on her closed fist.

"I hate admitting when you're right, but I really don't know much about you other than what's on the surface. We'll take a break for thirty minutes and have girl talk." Weiss couldn't help, but feel Ruby's relief when she heard her answer.

"Can it still be about boys?" Ruby excitedly asked.

"Sure. Relationships are hard to keep off the mind at the moment."

Ruby looked away, thinking of the question to not overstep the boundaries of her partner. "So if your friends were pre-approved by your parents, were any suitors also selected like that?"

"You catch on pretty quick. All of the boyfriends I had were sons of other companies for the sole possibility that if the heirs of company died, the beautiful white-haired widow would take control of their stake of the company. Pretty romantic, don't you think?" Weiss said with heavy sarcasm.

Ruby looked dishearten at the answer. Probably not expecting such a dismal response from Weiss. "They couldn't have all been bad guys could they?"

"I wouldn't demonize them like that. Well, some of them I would, but most of them were downright boring. Clearly been pampered their whole life, never wanting to leave from under the safety of mommy and daddy's money that they never learned how to treat a lady. Others bent over backwards just to serve me, not having a backbone or an opinion for themselves, which I found quite unattractive. Felt like they were sucking up to my parents more than me. And let's not forget the final batch of guys who just wanted one thing. Despicable." Weiss crossed her arms and snorted loudly. She can vividly remember each of their faces, thinking they were charming, when they were just being overaggressive.

"Sorry to hear that, Weiss. Maybe I shouldn't have brought it up," Ruby regretted. Weiss was quick to reassure her leader.

"Ruby, you were the one that suggested it. It's fine. I'll tell you when you've hit a sore spot."

Ruby seemingly jumped on the next question. "Did you kiss any of them?"

Weiss was thankful for the dim lighting as her face lit up red from shame. " _I hate girl talk,_ " she thought. She took a few moments to answer, embarrassed by the admittance of her innocence.

"If you must know, Ruby, I never have kissed a boy, or anyone for that matter," Weiss almost silently admitted. "Not like any of them deserved one. I was able to trick most of them into saying I don't like kissing on the first couple of dates. The others, though... they were persistent. One left a mark on my arm because he was grabbing me too tightly. I threatened legal action if he didn't stop. One of the few times my parents litigious reputation came in handy. They backed off. I have never felt so vulnerable and weak."

"You better not think that now. I've seen you fight. Your style comes with the grace and beauty of a swan, but packs the sting of a wasp. Not to judge where you came from, but you seem to have fared a lot better than most," Ruby said slowly, choosing her words carefully to console the heiress. Weiss smiled. This was the first time she had opened up about something so intimate and the person listening was sincerely taking in the information, instead of using it to formulate negative opinions about her.

"Thanks, Ruby, but let's not kid ourselves. There will be a day where I will be the smallest, in every dimension, on the team. I would kill for Yang's height or Blake's healthy physique. If you keep drinking all the milk you do, you will no doubt finish and be a exquisite woman. Me... I've accepted me. I love my body, but it is... frail looking. If there was a silver lining to it is because then I learned fencing for protection. Definitely made me capable to defend against randy adolescents, then Grimm. Eventually it led me here, in a dorm lit by lamps, with a snoring blonde woman, a Faunus and my nosy leader digging into my love life." Weiss let herself smile at her predicament. Ruby let out a hearty laugh before stifling it for her sleeping sister.

"Well, take it for what it's worth, but I think you're wonderful and finding that special someone that you'll want to change for will come along," Ruby assured.

"I wouldn't bet on that. It's been me for a long while. I'm used to a certain way. Like, I don't think I could do anything that your sister is doing for someone else. I don't think I could change," Weiss depressingly admitted.

Ruby giggled before responding. "You clearly are in denial."

Weiss didn't like being told wrong and snapped back. "What do you mean?"

"In the short time I've known you, you changed for all of us. You live with three other girls in a small room, you've accepted being the best teammate instead of leader, you worked on your fighting style to accommodate me, and you've even let me study with you. I don't think you realize how much it means to me when you grab me coffee when I'm up all night studying or carrying some of the weight as I figure out this whole leader business. You're a beautiful person, Weiss, and you shine brighter everyday."

Weiss couldn't avert her eyes away from Ruby as she spoke so pure. The small round face smiling through her explanation of her own disaffirmation. " _She's right, for the most part, I haven't been changing for the team, though. All those changes were for... her. Anything to make the team run smoothly, to give her more confidence to live with the responsibility of being leader. Just as Yang has been doing for Blake, I have been rather flexible to accommodate my partner._ " Ruby excused herself to use the restroom and left Weiss with her thoughts. " _It's more than that, though, isn't it? The reason I'm so hard on her is because I don't want someone too close, only to hurt me. Yang's a friend. Blake's a friend. Ruby... she doesn't feel like the rest and I've been lying to myself because I am afraid of the consequences. I deny my feelings whenever she grabs my hand, teases me, or compliments me. I changed a lot... for Ruby._ "


	4. Ruby: A Leader's Love

Thanks to everybody to read and commented. I read them and will make a decision in the next chapter on how I will structure this. As for right now, we're staying the course with some more White Rose, time to hear from the final perspective of love from our fearless leader. Again I can't thank Bakki on DeviantArt enough for my art, expect another Bumblebee pic with the next chapter and thank you to all of you who review, fav and follow. Keep up the work and enjoy.

Ruby: A Leader's Love

"Rule one, as long as Ruby and Weiss are in the room, the bed is for sleeping only," Weiss decreed in front of the new couple. Ruby was standing next to her. Weiss preferred that the leader ought to be on her side when propositioning the new dorm room rules. She couldn't help, but agree more as Weiss mentioned that certain noises could come from the other side of the room. As Weiss listed off the first rule, Yang was the first one to take offense.

"Oh, come on. This is the only private place were we can do it and you girls barely leave. Doubt Blake is down for public play." Yang took a small pause and whispered loud enough for the smaller members to hear. "Or are you alright with..."

Blake didn't give her the time for Yang to finish her sentence. "Absolutely not."

"See. Absolutely not. Come on, Ruby. You can't agree to these rules, right?" Yang appealed to her sister, who was already on Weiss' side. The heiress nudged her partner to speak up to the blonde.

"Yang, I-I really don't want to hear any noises at night. It is cringing to think of the idea of either of you letting out a moan or the sounds of lips to bare flesh or..." Ruby was cut off with Weiss' hand over her mouth. She knew she was going to embarrass herself if she continued.

"Girls, I may have wrote these rules, but I had more than my interests in mind. I wanted Ruby to not be scarred by anything. She's your younger sister, Yang. Even you would have to agree if you were her shoes, it would be awkward." Weiss handed over the list for the couple to look over. "I am not some dictator. If some changes can be made, I'll be flexible on them."

"Well, I can already tell you that number fourteen has to go. Really, no flirting there, Princess?" Yang sardonically pointed out.

"Weiss, I told you to take that one off. Yang's touchy feely with all of us. Can't ask her to stop being her," Ruby said with empathy towards her sister.

"Fine. I'm sure Blake also is siding against me." Weiss crossed her arms, glaring at the couple who were taking a pencil and modifying the list.

"Defiantly couldn't stop Yang from hugging," Blake pointed out.

"Or you from cuddling. Never thought you would be so cute and intimate, girlfriend. Don't think I don't notice you take a long whiff of me whenever you bury yourself in my neck," Yang said with a devilish smile. Seemingly letting the cat out of the bag, Blake mimicked Yang with a small hue of pink in her cheeks.

"You have a... pleasant scent," Blake stopping herself mid sentence before revealing too much. "Or just could be those overly expensive shampoos. Pheromones are chemicals after all," Blake jested, checkmating the blonde.

"Oh, someone thinks they're clever. You are so getting a hickey that your uniform can't hide tonight," Yang retaliated.

"No hickeys while we're in here," Weiss pointed out.

"But light kissing is alright." Ruby piped up. "I'm making a small amendment to rule one."

"Are you sure, Ruby?" Weiss glared.

Ruby brought Weiss down to her mouth by the red collar, whispering just loud enough for her to hear. "We can't be so parental to our teammates, especially when one is my older sister who is very used to breaking the rules or bending them to her advantage. I don't mind the small pecks here and there. I thank you for looking out for me, but it's actually really sweet to see Yang this happy with someone."

Weiss didn't have to like the answer, but she seemed to accept it as she backed away, fuming as the couple were slowly getting their way. Ruby stood next to her stoically as Yang and Blake kept her attention. Each word they said, each expression they made, and each intimate gesture they acted on was being analyzed by the young leader. She felt a twinge of yearning in her heart. " _I wish... no, I want that. Yang's usually happy, but she doesn't even feel like she's putting effort into smiling. Blake was probably tied with Weiss as the person who smiles least, but she can't stop giggling. Yang isn't saying anything and Blake has a toothy grin just by looking into her eyes. It's like they are having a private conversation with each other. Must be really good jokes... or it's probably something deeper._ "

The team came to an agreement, mostly because Ruby was being as lenient as possible from the ice princess' oppressive rules. Ruby didn't dare mention the real reason for her changing her stance to more middle of the road. She was completely curious about romance. Seeing how much it changed Blake was the tipping of the pendulum to give her the chance to observe the two at least in a controlled environment, without it getting graphic. The weeks passed and all the observing was doing was making the short-haired girl feel lonely. The optimism inside of her subsiding as she saw the new couple function at their highest capacity.

The physical aspect intrigued Ruby often. She felt the same as Weiss, like she's missing out on something. She would catch herself touching her own lips, feeling the softness and imagining it reciprocated by someone special. Wondering about her own first kiss. " _How do you do it? What does it feel like? Who is it going to be with?_ "

"Ruby. Ruby!"

The leader was taken out of her trance. A wild, white hand frantically waving in front of her face. "I uhh what? So-sorry Weiss. I just..."

"What you're doing is faffing about and wasting precious study time. I was checking up on you to see how long you would keep it up. You've been lost in thought for a good ten minutes," Weiss yelled with ire. Ruby was still dazed, processing the fact that she had been thinking about kissing for such a length that it was officially becoming a distraction. In her daze, Weiss placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder, eyes showing concern. "I'm sorry for snapping, but you really have to tell me what is wrong. I've noticed this for awhile now."

"If I tell you, will you please keep it between us," Ruby pleaded.

"I think we've had enough girl talk to trust each other at this point."

Ruby took a deep breath and collected her thoughts. "Yang and Blake, I see them going out, kissing, having such a great time, and I feel like I'm missing out. Took me so long to get a friend that it's scaring me a little that I may find it harder to find a romantic partner. It all seems wonderful."

"When did you turn into the main character of Blake's smutty romance novels? I know I admitted I was envious of Blake, but something your sister and her might have is rare. But judging from how your sister used to go through dates, I say this one is far stronger than most. But take it from me, Ruby, the dating game is a lot of headache with no benefit when you keep getting set up with trash. It's a lot of time, effort, and heartbreak. It's fine to want the experience, but what you're looking for you probably won't find as quick," Weiss explained.

"I know you had a lot of trouble with boyfriends, but it can't be all that bad," Ruby rebuttaled

"But. It. Can." Weiss pronounced each syllable with hate filled emphasis. "If you gave me all day I can regale you of all the dates I've been on and how each one perpetually disappointed me further than the last. Most people have their own motives, Ruby. For me, they wanted my money, status, and for sex. For you, it could be your fame, skill, and the corruption of innocence. People our age... we really are selfish."

"But it's not weird that I'm feeling this way, right?" Ruby quietly asked.

"No. I always forget that you're a couple years younger than us, even though you're our leader. You're just at that age. I doubt it's more than a curiosity, though. And the whole kissing part, trust me, every single person is thinking about that to a degree. I'm surprised it's hitting you now," Weiss posed inquisitively.

"I guess... Crescent Rose was a good way to distract me from love. I know enough about Grimm and my weapon, so learning about something new is exciting. I want it. I want it more than anything now." Ruby's eyes now gleaming, able to release the pent up frustration and be truthful to her romantic desires.

Ruby looked over after her triumphant confession to see Weiss with a perplexed expression. "So... going to take from it you want someone special to go out on a date?" Ruby got a hint of red tint on her cheeks for the childlike antics. She simply nodded at Weiss' question. The heiress placed her fingers at the bridge of her nose, letting out a deep sigh. "I am going to regret this. I know it. Ruby, will you let me take you out on a da-date?"

Ruby's mind kickstarted at the idea. Eyes growing bigger and she cupped Weiss' hands in hers. "Really Weiss?"

"Don't get the wrong idea." Weiss straightened out with cheeks flushed. "I'm only doing this so I can get you back into studying. Hopefully you can get this fascination over with."

Ruby didn't let go of Weiss' hands. Hearing the words 'date' juxtaposed with 'Weiss' was enough to keep heron cloud nine. Peering into the icy blue eyes was a scowl that melted into a small smile as Ruby kept beaming at the anticipation. For a moment, Ruby felt the warmth from the heiress' heart transfer to her as her heartbeat increased. She had never felt this feeling before, comfortable in the silence of her gesture. Weiss soured the mood with a quick cutback and returned to her usual scowl.

"Let's get back to studying and make up some lost ground. I can cancel anytime. Just be glad you get to go out with someone you kind of like. I'll be back. Need some tea." Weiss left in a flustered fashion, leaving Ruby with her own thoughts on the situation.

" _Going out with someone I like... I think I might have found her._ "

* * *

The semester ended and Weiss was delivering on her promise. Ruby sat on her bed, losing her mind with the idea of fun that's awaiting her. She couldn't wait for Weiss to turn off the shower, knowing that the date is just less than an hour away after that. " _Control yourself, Ruby. Weiss wouldn't want your usual overzealous self, but I'm so excited. I know it kind of feels weird that it's Weiss and all, but it's either her or I go meet other students. I have enough people in my life between our team and team JNPR. Jaune is kind of cute, but Weiss... I can't explain it. I wish I wasn't too shy to talk to Yang about romance. I'd rather save my cheeks from the constant pinching or being smothered in her chest from how 'cute' it is to see me grow up._ "

The humming of the shower turned off and replaced with the obnoxious sound of the hairdryer running. " _I am really glad Yang is not here, or even Blake. I don't want them to see me all embarrassed and excited at the same time. I can imagine Yang taking a picture and making it a background on her scroll for awhile or worse. Yang is protective of me. It's great. I'm not complaining, but I don't want her and Weiss at ends if she finds out she took me out once,_ " Ruby taking a large gulp, "b _ehind her back. Yang, please forgive me for doing this without you knowing, but I want to be grown up right now... I can't be a child forever._ "

Ruby was tired of being tended to. Sure, she does a lot of childish things like eat cookies, loving the idea of bunk beds, and instills a lot of energy, but she knew her capabilities on the field and as knowledge as a huntress are close to expert level. It hurts the worst when Weiss would bring it up. Yang's allowed to treat her as a little sister till the end of time, Blake has been very accommodating and easy with Ruby's antics. Weiss, however... She hates the fact that a few scoldings from the heiress was able to get her to stop making faces when Professor Port turns his back. It's partially why she has been so aflutter for the date. Ruby always saw dating as a gateway to adulthood, something even Beacon's prestige couldn't fill. Weiss was finally seeing her as an adult.

As the bathroom door opened, Ruby scrambled and pressed her battle skirt down, smoothing out the wrinkles, looking presentable for the beauty exiting. The young leader was dazzled by the fresh appearance of the heiress. Her white, contrasting battle skirt with hair tied in her asymmetrical ponytail. "You look great," Ruby barely got out.

"Thanks, but it's the normal getup. To be honest, didn't really think about packing any casual dresses for going out when I came here. I kept it to the essentials with the limited space I would get." Weiss went to the door and promised to be quick. Seconds later there was a knock. Ruby ignored it as Weiss would have passed by the visitor as she left. The knocks didn't stop and only got heavier and quicker. Ruby's curiosity peaked enough to open to see a very cross heiress.

"I'm really confused, was I supposed to open it?" Ruby confoundedly asked.

"No, I forgot my wallet. On second thought, I'll just stick with what I have on me. Yang seems to do fine with whatever she does with Blake."

Ruby almost panicked when she remembered Yang and Blake could be back on the airship any minute and catch her in the act. "Yeah, whatever you have is solid. Let's just go."

"Fine, then. Grab my hand," Weiss said, extremity outstretched. Ruby couldn't resist anymore and latched on. She suppressed her excitement enough to walk the same pace as her date, instead of dragging her to the airship station. She couldn't help, but mesmerize the slimness of Weiss' hand, the slender fingers entwining with hers, small callouses from training with Myrtenaster mostly smoothed over with manicuring and lotion.

The midday sky was lovely for the weatherman to say it would be a snowstorm. She looked to the horizon and found that it would be a few more days away, but today was partly cloudy with a nice winter breeze. Cold enough to keep most inside, making for a perfect undetected walk through the main entrance onto the airship. Ruby calmed her anxieties down as now there was only one place left for Yang got catch her. "So... Weiss, where are we heading to?"

"A place where I had one of the worst experiences on a date ever, The Vale Pier. I was sort of hoping I could go back there and leave with a better memory than last," Weiss answered.

Ruby let a little bit of her giddiness "Oh my gosh. I haven't been since I was a kid. It was such a good time. All the rides and the ocean air. The island was too small for something that commercial so coming here for some fun was magical. This is great."

"Glad you got to have a good time. My experience was mostly standing around while he tried to prove his machoness in his trunks and shirt that was two sizes too small. Also, his thought of a romantic dinner was hotdogs and cola. We actually got food poisoning the next day." Weiss looked over to a slightly fearing Ruby and let out a small laugh. "I won't give you food poisoning. Don't worry."

Ruby smiled with her partner. While looking at the glorious view from the air, the two were having a light conversation about what Yang and Blake could be doing. Both are usually in their dorm room watching movies together and doing actions that Ruby wouldn't want to talk about. Eventually, they got down to the landmark Vale Pier. In Ruby's childhood mind, it was slightly better. Some of the flooring was beaten by the weather, stands were derelict, and some of the local color was too freaky even for Ruby's taste, but it was a heavenly paradise so long as she was with Weiss.

Weiss led Ruby to the periscopes to take in the majesty that is the ocean. After the few Lien from Weiss' deep pocket were used, Ruby was fine with looking at the waves crash against the beach. The loud thunder of the pure force of nature ever fascinating to her. The two talked of when they would face aquatic Grimm, battle strategies already forming in their minds. The heiress then mentioned they got back into the old routine of talking about school. Ruby laughed as her eyes were opened and changed the conversation to the time at the beach when her Uncle Qrow was sitting on a nest of crabs and was pinched violently while sunbathing.

As the conversation was winding down, the two walked hand-and-hand around the pier. The alleyway they went down was the game turn-stand aisle. The glowing neon lights and bright colors of the booths were dazzling to the young leader, taking her even closer to her childhood memory. "Now this looks almost exactly like my childhood. Can't tell you how much of my allowance was spent here just to win a big plush Ursa."

"I hope you know all of these are rigged. There is no skill involved except for the carnival worker's charm to keep getting people to put down their hard earned money to win cheap trinkets," Weiss said, attempting to deflate Ruby's bubble. However, the young girl would not be effected.

"Sounds like someone is sore that she couldn't win at any of these games," Ruby teased. Weiss glared down to the cheerful dark-haired girl.

"Like you're so good. You couldn't win any of these. The odds are against us," Weiss complained.

Ruby pulled on her date to beckon her to the game she mastered as a child. She brought the heiress to the lime green neon booth, sign flashing Riptide Ring Toss. Hundreds of bottles lined up in a square on a yellow table. The proprietor of the stand came up "If a plastic ring lands atop one of one hundred and eighty-seven green, glass bottles, you win a jumbo prize! You ladies up the challenge?"

"Yes, I am," Ruby happily announced as she dug five Lien out of her pocket. Weiss stood behind her, arms crossed, both captivated and annoyed at her date's positivity towards these fleecing games. Ruby was given three red rings. Judging from the diameter of the ring, from a distance, the rings looked smaller than the mouths of the bottles. Ruby took her time, sized up, and carefully set up for her first attempt.

"Ruby, just get his over with. There's no way..." Weiss clammed up as Ruby let go and sunk a ring around one of middle bottles.

"And we have a winner!" the carny yelled. Ruby didn't hesitate and picked the giant Ursa plush of her dreams. The young leader couldn't resist and she turned around to her date, mouth agape, with a smirk on her mouth.

"See. I got me a new fluffy friend here." Ruby handed over her other two leftover rings. "Give it a shot if you think it's so easy."

Weiss took a moment to contemplate, but snatched the rings out of Ruby's hand and put the same amount of concentration that she thought her date did. Two small clinks to the glass left Weiss' hand empty. "This is... I don't believe you."

Ruby rubbed up next to her holding the Ursa plush. "If it makes you feel better, that was a lot of Lien as a kid to get that good."

Weiss seemingly didn't listen and brought her wallet out of her inside jacket pocket. "I want nine rings, sir," she demanded as she pulled out more money.

Ruby felt her elation fall as she saw the display of obsession. "Weiss, I got it. You don't need to prove anything."

"But I do. Just sit back and watch me master this in minutes," Weiss commanded. Ruby didn't feel like arguing. She stood back, praying that the next ring would get her date a prize. Thirty rings later, Weiss had nothing to show for it except the weak consolation prize of a spider ring. The heiress stormed away before she could reach into her wallet again to bring out another five Lien. Ruby kept the low speed chase close as she was questioning her date's actions.

"Weiss, it's fine. We all get caught up in the game. It's alright to be ashamed," Ruby cried out.

The heiress stopped and turned to her worried date. "It's not that I lost my nerve in there. I knew what I was doing. It's just... back when I came here with my insufferable date, he tried and failed miserably like me. After seeing you pull it off so effortlessly, I thought that I could do the same and became increasingly frustrated when I couldn't. I feel as lame as him. I should be able to win something for my date."

Ruby saw a wound reopen from her past. She didn't know how to heal it, but knew how to seal it up again. She presented the Ursa to her teammate, now confused as to what Ruby was doing. "Here. We can call this Ursa our win. If I really think about it, if you never took me here, I never would have bothered to come again." Ruby let out a small blush, averting her gaze as she presented her feelings with the plush. The leader couldn't see, but if she were to look at Weiss, she was beaming a healthy glow from Ruby's words. "I-I never met him, but you're probably better than that guy, anyways."

Ruby felt her hair get lightly shifted as Weiss played with it. She looked into the icy eyes gleaming with happiness. "Thanks, but I think the Ursa matches your sleeping mask. You have no idea how many times I thought a baby Nevermore was nesting in your bed."

Weiss grabbed her hand and promised the next stop Ruby would no doubt love. The pier wasn't big and she could guess what it probably is, but suspended her brain to be genuinely surprised where Weiss was taking her. As she was being walking around, she couldn't see what was awaiting her, almost thinking the heiress would use her money to bus something private into the pier. Ruby then stalled as Weiss presented her find.

"Here we are," Weiss announced. Ruby looked up at the sign that read 'Scoops Ice Cream & Treats'. The leader was holding in her appreciation for the gesture. Knowing Ruby for a day would figure out how big her sweet tooth is. Still, the young leader wanted to stifle the glee in her to keep the illusion of an adult that she earned to be on a date.

"Some ice cream would be delightful," Ruby said, ridding her tone of any felicity.

Weiss was confused that Ruby wasn't jumping up and down, so she slowly revealed her reason. "We aren't here for ice cream. Well, not entirely." The heiress walked Ruby inside and presented her with the sole reason for coming to the dessert store. "Take a look into the glass case, Ruby."

Ruby wasn't sure if her mind could take the elegant dessert that was inside the casing. Perfectly preserved for display was an eight inch chocolate cookie, topped with a single scoop of vanilla ice cream. She peeked around the back to see one being made. The center was perfectly gooey coming out of the oven, melting the ice cream evenly to reach the edges of the deep dish pan. Unconsciously, Ruby licked her lips, imagining the heavenly taste as it reached her tongue. " _I want it. No, I need it. Wait. Stop, Ruby. Pull yourself together. Adults don't goggle at sweets like it's the last bastion on the planet. Quietly say your gratitude and eat it respectfully._ "

Ruby backed away and cleared her throat. "I would like that very much. Thank you, Weiss."

The heiress had a more perplexed look at the young leader who is having a very cosmetic expression on the dessert treat. "That's not quite what I was expecting from you. I feel like I messed up now."

Ruby put her hands to comfort the heiress. "No, Weiss. It's great. I can't wait to eat it."

"Then why the subdued expression? I saw your reflection in the mirror, Ruby. Your eyes were drooling over the thing," Weiss answered with ire. Ruby felt trapped, knowing that the ice princess had seen through her. She didn't know how to wiggle out of it, so she accepted defeat. Not wanting to start a scene, she quietly toned her voice so only Weiss could hear.

"It's just... I feel so adult right now. I'm out on a date, having a great time and I have been trying to keep it at that level of competency. It's been really nice to be treated like an adult for once and I thought that if I gave into my love of cookies it would revert back and you would resent me for ruining our good time." Ruby couldn't look Weiss in the eyes, embarrassed at her own sugar-loving nature.

"Ruby, that's nice of you to think about me, but the whole reason I did bring you here is for the pizza cookie. Do you do childish actions that get on my nerves? Yes. Do I hate it? No. I've looked past all those things because I know the real you, Ruby. It shines on the field when you lead. You are nothing short of flawlessness when directing us. Something no child could do, I assure you. It's not my business to change who you are or judge what you do when you relax. Right now, though, we're not on the clock and our grades aren't at stake. I want you to be yourself. I wouldn't have asked you out if I didn't like you for who you are."

Ruby reverted her gaze back to Weiss', the heiress grinning at the young leader, who regained her energy as her neurotics were washing away. Something Weiss said piqued her interest, Ruby picking up on the last sentence uttered. "I thought you asked me out to get rid of my fascination with dates."

"Don't be misconstruing my words. I also said I'm tired of going on bad dates. I wouldn't have even considered helping you if you're as childish as you think." Ruby noticed a small tint on Weiss' cheeks as she said it. Before Ruby could address it, Weiss was already in line readying to order their dessert meal. Ruby sat down at the table, wondering if Weiss had her own ulterior motives for asking her out on a date.

" _She did say people our age usually want something else. Perhaps Weiss maybe... argg. I can't tell. I never had any experience in this. I wish I was as bold as Yang when it came to relationships. I want to ask Weiss if she really likes me, but I don't have the confidence to react if she says no. Besides, those red tints aren't uncommon. She gets flustered very easily. Bury your assumptions, Ruby. Let's not jump to conclusions... even though I wouldn't mind if Weiss did take this more romantically._ "

Weiss came back with the dessert and it was better than her imagination. She had to strain herself to split the pizza in exactly half, but Weiss could see Ruby's eyes were as big as dishes when she saw her nibbling at her half. The heiress rolled her eyes and let Ruby have the last few bites. Satisfied with some food in their stomachs, Weiss suggested to walk it off, but the Ferris Wheel was calling her since she saw the neon lights dance around the spokes. Weiss didn't want to ride something on a full stomach, but the line for the attraction was greater than a King Taijitu.

Ruby couldn't help but notice that most of the line was couples. She didn't want to acknowledge she was thinking about love too much, but maybe her brain unconsciously saw it and led her to the ride. As the two got on, each sat on opposite sides of the cart, Ruby remembering the day both of them became partners. She was thousands of feet in the air, hooked to the talon of a Nevermore at ends with one another. Ruby remembered the flashes of the beautiful Emerald Forest, but nothing compared to being at the top of Ferris Wheel with Weiss. The sun set behind the heiress, glowing rays accenting her albescent hair, porcelain skin, and ice blue eyes luminescent against the silhouette. Ruby was fighting herself to speak, to say anything meaningful. Comment on the beauty of Weiss instead of the scenery. Before Ruby could make a decision, the ride was over and the ocean winds coerced the girls back home.

As they reached Beacon's entrance, the two were still in high spirits as Weiss was breaking down the date. "See. It's really no different from hanging out, isn't it? So if you want to ever do this again, just ask. I know you have been having a good time. You can't stop smiling."

Ruby felt her cheeks hurt as Weiss pointed it out. "I did and thanks for taking me out. It was really courtly of you to treat me to this. It is kind of weird, though. The date's over, but we're heading to the same place."

Weiss laughed at the remark. "Usually this is the part where many of my dates thought they earned my affection and indirectly or directly asked for a goodnight kiss."

Ruby's eyes popped at the word 'kiss'. If there was any time to see what a kiss with Weiss was like, it was now. The young leader blurted out. "You earned it."

Ruby almost regretted saying it as Weiss stopped in her tracks and viewed with fright towards her date. The seconds felt like hours as the two were paused. Ruby felt her heart beat in her throat, unable to take back the words if she wanted to. "Th-thanks, Ruby," Weiss barely got out. Ruby panicked as she saw Weiss' hand rise towards her face. She threw caution to the wind with closed eyes and leaned into Weiss hand. The small extremity shaking, tips cold from the weather gracefully holding Ruby's cheek. She heard Weiss' boots creak closer. Ruby, anticipating a pair of lips on hers, puckered hers, unsure of how it be done properly.

She felt the hand release her cheek and a hard flick on her nose. "Ow," she said, brought completely out of her romantic trance.

The heiress, now using the same finger to wave in front of Ruby, waved back-and-forth. "Never kiss on the first date. If they are really interested, they'll come back and ask for more," the heiress chided, voice shaking as she scolded Ruby. She wanted to say forget the rules and pull Weiss in for something fierce, but Ruby passively acknowledged her date's advice. She wasn't about to make another one of Weiss' dates terrible because of a selfish argument of lip locking. Weiss beckoned Ruby to follow her back to the dorm.

"If-if it's alright with you, Weiss, I have something to quickly grab at the library. I think I lost my ID there. I'll be real quick," Ruby lied.

"Fine. I'll be getting ready for bed. I wish mother and father picked a later departure, but what are you going to do?" Weiss pointed out. Ruby went to the one place she knew she would be able to properly thank Weiss.

" _I swear, if she wasn't going home for a visit, I would have asked her tomorrow for a date. Doesn't matter now. Time to restratagize. Because I'm so bad at talking about how interested I am, I will show her._ " Ruby made it to the Beacon garden, burying herself in the red rose bush, searching for the perfect one. She spent the better part of an hour analyzing each bud for one with the perfect form, color, stem, foliage, and proportion.

"I give up," she screamed to the sky, uncaring of how she looked with dirt on her hands and face. She clipped the stem off of the one that was almost perfect. "If it wasn't for the small tear on this petal, you'd be flawless."

As Ruby was walking back to her room, she repented what she had said earlier in the garden. She held the little rose to her face, keeping her field of vision from being obstructed. "I'm sorry, Mr. Flower. I know you tried your best to be perfect, just like the person I'm giving this to," she said tenderly as she remembered the large scar that ran down Weiss' left eye. Ruby tipped-toed into the room. Weiss was sound asleep on the bottom bunk. The sneaky girl checked her scroll to find a few missed texts from Yang. The older teammates were roaming the campus with the loving couple from team JNPR for some bevs.

Ruby found a large empty bottle from Weiss' dust collection and placed the rose delicately in there. She went over to the already packed luggage and arranged it in between some socks. Ruby quickly got dressed for bed and hopped up her nest with her journal to quickly pen in the wonderful day. She thought it would be impossible to forget a day this good, but writing out her feelings put them into perspective. " _Weiss is more than just a friend. I may not have experienced it before, but I know she is the one. I hope to grow the courage to ask her one day, but whatever happens next I can't wait for._ "


	5. Blake: A Lesson In Romantics

Hey everybody. Thank you for all the support and love form the last chapter. I didn't even know I was close to 100 followers and hopefully we can break that goal with the next chapter. Anyways, I looked over the plan and I will be going in chronological order for the sake of keeping the story as jointed as possible. So I regret to inform that I'm going to shaft Bumblebee fans for a long time, but hopefully to smooth everything over I did make this chapter something special, something that alters the rating of this story. Please check out Bakki for another lovely picture in the near future. Also if I forget to change the rating, don't report me please. Just PM me. Be sure to fav/follow and review. I love reading them. Enjoy.

Blake: A Lesson In Romantics

A heavy storm rolled through Vale and blanketed the campus with light snow as winter was in full effect. Students were free to go home once the semester ended, but three quarters of team RWBY were stuck together. Yang and Ruby wanted to see their family, but with the both of them constantly together, it didn't feel like they left home anyways. Weiss went home for a week for business matters. Since their run in with Roman allianced with The White Fang, other large scale operations have been waged on the Schnee Dust Company. Some successful, others not so much, but she figured to go home and overlook damage reports of the family company. Blake felt left out as she didn't have a home or people to go back to. She left that all behind when she came to Beacon. If anything, there was a purpose staying on campus more so, her blonde girlfriend.

Three months passed since the kiss in the library. Blake was more than enjoying her time with Yang. Now that she didn't have to hold back her feelings, the first few weeks was more or less a really long make out session. With the pent up lust released, the Faunus was back to her reserved self. Only this time, she had Yang at her side, which came with its own set of trouble. Her girlfriend was more playful. Even if they were to say they have the same level of love for one another, Yang was far more expressive. Written notes in textbooks, hand holding through the halls, hugging, and brief pecks were fine with Blake, but Yang had a higher sensibility for showing affection.

When Blake and Yang became a couple, Ruby and Weiss thought it was fine for them to sleep in the same bed. This came after an extreme protest from the ice princess, who made up a litany of rules if this were to work out. Yang challenged those rules and together have broken each of them a couple of times. First one being 'As long as Ruby and Weiss are in the room, the bed is for sleeping only.' They have since moved to the top bunk as it got colder since Yang can't activate her aura while she is sleeping.

Even on vacation, Weiss still insists on having the alarms wake them up. Yang usually was unaffected by it, but Blake woke up on occasion, only to fall back asleep against her girlfriend. A couple hours later, the blonde snorer wakes up and unintentionally wakes the Faunus up every time. With nothing to worry about with the term being over, the two lazily would lie in the sheets, tentatively touching as they were coming out of their sleep.

The gentle humming of the shower was running as Ruby was washing herself. The lovers entwined and eyes idly gazing at the other. "Technically we wouldn't be breaking rule one since both of them are out of the room," Yang mentioned. "Good thing we're about to get changed. I'm about to soak those panties."

Blake smiled at the crudeness as no other could have used a line so confidently with such finesse. "Oh dear. You've melted my heart with your sweet words. Please take me, Blondie," she said with playful satire.

Yang planted a few kisses on her face. "Be as sarcastic as you want. It's certainly been working on you."

Blake couldn't deny it. She didn't know if the love made her crazy or it was the blonde's appeal, but her charm is unreal. Doesn't matter the awfulness of the lines, Yang's shining personality and sparkling smile had their way with the Faunus' heart. Deep down, though, Blake wouldn't have minded a more conventional romance. As much as she was enjoying Yang, it wasn't the stories that were in her romance novels. Even if she knew them to be unreal, and unbelievable, there was a sense of chivalry that Yang doesn't have. It's times when Yang says 'Sister's gone. Lets make out.' that she wishes, the blonde couldn't get away with such an easy quip.

Blake's thoughts were pushed aside as Yang got on top of her. Her long locks draping to one side as she pulled Blake in for a kiss. As the session got steamier, Yang's hands ran up the white thighs of Blake as the Faunus kept her hands at her partner's back, tracing the outline of her spine, her girlfriend arching into her with the delicate touch. Her waist was enticing, but its slimness, in comparison to her upper half, which was spilling on top of her, was far more inviting. Blake's eyes popped as the warmth of Yang's hands were under her robe and tugging at her panties. She gently pushed Yang away and gave a very scolding look.

Yang smiled and put her hand behind her head in embarrassment. "Is there a pick-up line that would remove those pesky panties?"

"Sorry, but no. In good time, Yang. I've never been easy to get."

"I can tell by the way I got you to admit you liked me," Yang laughed off as she remembered the events. "It's fine. So long as you keep feeding me breadcrumbs, I can still have the energy to keep the chase."

Blake smiled and gave her girlfriend a grateful kiss. "Thanks. I love you, Yang."

"I'm pretty fond of you too, Blake." The Faunus smiled at the casually reciprocation of her feelings. They continued for a time and as the two were in their moment, the shower turned off and they knew their time was running short. When they knew Ruby was going to be in the room shortly, they climbed off each other and got ready for their time in the bathroom. Yang went first as Blake sat and read while waiting. When the girls were freshened up, they made their way down to the mess hall.

Blake was still not used to the male attention they got when they were walking down the halls hand-in-hand. What the miscreants didn't know was that with her Faunus ears could hear their perverted comments. Yang tried something new today as she let go of her girlfriend's hand and lay it by her waist.

Blake didn't mind in private, but the last thing she wanted was for the boys to say anything more. "Can we switch back? I don't really want to repeat what the guys are saying, but I guarantee that you would punch everyone of them in the mouth."

"Hmm, what are they saying now?" Yang asked playfully.

Blake felt an alarming sharp pain on her rear. She looked behind her to find nothing. If it wasn't for the stifled laughter from Yang that Blake wouldn't have figured out what had happened.

"You have a death wish, don't you?" Blake said while giving a cold stare towards the blonde, who was almost dying at her own joke.

Yang knew when to stop and returned her hand to Blake's. As they got their food and sat next to each other, Blake was quieter than usual as she dug into her breakfast. She wasn't mad at Yang, just disappointed at the lack of gallantry. Yang wasn't dense and poked into the issue.

"Hey. Come on. I'm sorry."

"Yang, don't apologize. If we were in our room I wouldn't have cared. Probably would have pinched back. I've been thinking, though..."

"About what?" Yang said while feeding herself a spoon full of cereal.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I wouldn't mind if you were more chivalrous from time to time."

"Are you saying that I'm not romantic?"

"It's not that you aren't romantic. I am only wishing for you to be more conventional. I know we're students and it's hard to get off campus and do something, but we're dating and we really haven't been on a date yet."

Blake looked over to see a pouty Yang with her arms crossed. "I too am romantic. I sweep you off your feet with my own style."

"You do, Yang. You honestly do and I surprise myself how easily I fall for it. It's not that I don't like your style of romantics, but I wouldn't mind the classics every once in awhile," Blake explained her case. She saw the hurt in Yang's face and almost regret saying what she did. Before she could, Yang's face switched to serious.

"You got it."

Blake was surprised by the answer. "Got, what?"

"You want a conventional date with all the bells and whistles, then you got it," Yang said as she grabbed her girlfriend's hand and spoke lower. "I know you don't read those novels because they are the most intellectual read. You read them because secretly you wouldn't mind being treated so special, even if it's for a day. Give me a week. In one week I'll have done all the research I need to take you on a proper date. Not the usual hang out in our room and watch movies on the computer."

Blake saw the fire in her eyes. Seemed she was determined to make Blake's small wish come true. "Yang, you don't have to. Like I said it's just a..."

"I want to. You're kind of hard for me to read at times. I can tell my antics do push buttons harder on some days than others. Let me do this for you, Blake. You wouldn't bring it up if you didn't want it."

Blake sat there conflicted that she didn't want to change her girlfriend, but on the other hand, not squash the enthusiasm to do something so considerate just for her. Blake bit her bottom lip as she was thinking, looking in the eager eyes of Yang pushed the pendulum to a side. "If you really are alright with it, but I don't want you overexerting yourself."

"Pfft. I got this. Don't worry about me. Just be prepared for a date that you will never forget," Yang said with such vitality. Blake felt the warmth in her heart. She knew Yang to step it up in battle, but this is the first hurdle that she's had to handle as a girlfriend. A hurdle she doesn't have to cross, but is doing out of her own volition. Blake smiled big at the realization, Yang responding by pecking the Faunus, and resumed their meals.

As the two returned to their room, Yang didn't lie and got down to flipping through Blake's collection of books. Blake was smart, and at the beginning of the year, kept the more ridiculous and saucy novels in her suitcase under her bed. There wouldn't be any ideas for Yang to implement in those books anyhow. Yang took a bundle of books and was sitting there, quietly humming to herself as she was jotting down notes from the novels. Blake was below, reading her own, and was ecstatic with what was to come.

A few days passed and Yang was through four books. A notebook she kept was filled with enough ideas to write another novel altogether. Blake was enjoying a good read when she heard a scream come from above her.

"Yang, something the matter?" she said while poking her head up to see what was wrong.

Yang jumped off the bed and forced the Faunus to scoot over. "Oh my gosh, Blake. You got to listen to this."

Blake observed the book, but the writing inside wasn't text, but handwritten. "This was dated last week before Weiss left." Yang cleared her throat from the saliva building up from the excitement. "Weiss took me on a date today. She said it really wasn't anything special, that she was only doing this to rid my fascination with dating, but I have to disagree with her entirely. If this is what a date is, I had so much fun. Having never been on one, Weiss was so dignified, caring, and courteous that I don't think my first experience could have been better. Maybe she was not exaggerating in that she was on dates with lousy people. What Weiss really taught me is that, as long as the person you're going with isn't bad, then it can be awesome. As much as I was on the fence before, I think I may have fallen for her. I wish I had more of a backbone, though. I know she said no kissing first date, but her presence, her words, her beauty would be worth breaking that rule. I've been curious about kissing and Weiss earned one by taking me on such a wonderful date. It might be early, but I might be in love with my teammate."

Blake's mouth was agape as Yang read the journal entry. The blonde was almost bursting with happiness from reading the juicy story. "Wow, your sister... Good for her."

"More like good for me. Ruby has totally been hiding this from me. I'm going to tease her like no end, but more importantly, I get to play protective older sibling. Weiss gets to have a visit from Mama Yang." The blonde rung her hands together and smiling wildly as no doubt she was cooking up something for the ice princess.

"I am surprised. I didn't think you would be one to go through people's personal items," Blake said with concern.

"I didn't mean to. Honest. You know I grab at the shelf and I must have picked it up. Since I've read about four of these, I know to skip to the middle to start, because nothing that can help me is when they first meet. So I flipped open her journal and as I realized what I was reading, I laughed a bit. Ruby is my sister and her inner thoughts are adorable. Just to be nosy I did flip to the latest entry, and sure enough, it's my sister saying she's in love with Weiss. So cute. They work well together."

"They do. I almost feel like this is our doing. Before we got together, we sort of were excluding them from what we were doing."

"I will take credit for it. I was always afraid Ruby would fall for the wrong person, following unconsciously in her sister's footsteps. At least I know Weiss and she is a true lady with integrity. May not have been the first choice for her, but Weiss seems to have made her happy. Definitely made an impression on her on the date."

Blake smiled at the sibling love. She did see an opening for a tease however. "You know, I've been dating you for about three months and haven't been on a date. Your sister isn't even dating Weiss and was taken out from what she described is lovely."

Yang looked over with a moody scowl. Blake hid her laugh as she successfully got underneath the blonde's skin. "You think that was good? I'm gonna blow your hopeless romantic mind with what I have in store for you."

"Don't put my expectations too high. You're destined to fail," Blake digging deeper into blonde. Yang was one, when teased, will come back twofold. She tossed Ruby's notebook across the room and swiftly got on top of Blake. She inched her face slowly till the Faunus could feel her breath on her neck. The blonde inched slowly to her ear and whispered. Blake didn't dare repeat what Yang said, but as she backed away, the dark-haired girl was red in the face. Yang slowly moved off and went back into her bunk, leaving the Faunus with a blush that would rival Ruby's robes.

* * *

The alarm woke Blake up again. This time Yang got up turned it off, but didn't come back to bed. The Faunus heard the door to the bathroom shut and assumed she was taking care of morning business and returned to sleep. The second time, she woke up, and was surprised to not feel the body of her partner next to her. Used to sleeping together, Blake found it weird to not be able to grab onto her partner's waist. She lazily got up and noticed a folder paper on her shelf. She let herself down and flipped open the note.

Blake's mood was lifted by the simple few words on the inside.

"Be ready at five and stay hungry."

Blake let the note close, crumpling it slightly. She knew her girlfriend kept her word, and with the date upon her, was letting herself get giddy with excitement. The day was weird, however, as she continued with it normally. She hadn't realized how normal it was to walk around the campus with someone until she had no one. She didn't think she would unappreciate solidarity, but she wouldn't be surprised if Yang changed her in others ways.

As five rolled closer, Blake showered and gussied up, extra touches of makeup here and there. As she was alone, she was wondering where Yang was getting ready or where she had been all day. Blake had to give her props. The protagonist's love interest was usually mysterious. To pass the time, she sat down and read adventure as to not spoil anything her girlfriend could have taken out of her novels. She couldn't get through a page however without checking the time, counting down the minutes till Yang would show up.

Almost on queue, there was a knock at the dorm door. Blake had to stifle the excitement as she got up to greet her date. She opened the door to see a pile of red. She stepped back to see the full picture, a bouquet of red roses. The blonde lowered it enough to reveal her smirk as she saw Blake. "These are for you, milady."

Blake took the flower arrangement from the bottom of the vase, inhaling the sweet aroma. Based on the freshness, she could have guessed at one place she had been. "Thanks Yang. These are really lovely. I'll go put them by the window." The Faunus placed the flowers next to the usual crack in the drapes next to their beds. Blake couldn't see herself, but could feel her cheeks turn pink with a smile from ear to ear. As soon as she rejoined Yang, the blonde took her by the hand and lead her down the hall.

"So, other than the flower shop, where else have you been today?" Blake curiously asked.

"You know, places. You'll find out. I was just making sure they would be private."

Blake admired the effort and kissed Yang on the cheek from the planning. "You're off to a good start. So where we headed to?"

"I got some reserva...: Yang trailed off as they got to the entrance to the school. They stopped in their tracks and Blake followed Yang's focus. Weiss seemed to have returned with a suitcase in hand. She looked back to Yang, who was already wearing a devilish grin. "Blake. I'm going to have a little fun with the princess who has stolen my little sister's heart. Care to watch?"

Blake agreed. Deep down she always wanted to get back at the hurtful comments once said about her and the Faunus. Some nonviolent teasing for a good cause wouldn't be the worst to happen to Weiss.

Yang marched with Blake in tow and before Weiss couldn't say anything she had her back against the wall and the brawler almost touching faces. "Get off me, you brute. I want to get to my room and unpack. I had a long day traveling..."

Yang effectively shut the ice princess up as she trapped her by placing her arms on each side of her head. Weiss went from yelling to scared as Yang's eyes turned red. "I know what you did with my little sister."

Blake could see sweat form on the heiress' forehead as Yang caught her with the secret. Still trying to play it off, Weiss denied the truth. "I-I have no idea what you're talking ab-about. I didn't do anything."

"Don't play dumb. You're not good at it," Yang snapped back. "Know that I'm not mad, but you are in a very interesting situation. Seems my sister has taken a liking to you. If you choose to go further with her, I think it's important to keep in mind you will be her first. Her first kiss, her first love, and potentially her first heartbreak. If the latter happens, I will be there."

Weiss gulped as her face grew red as beads of perspiration were pouring from her. Blake could tell the semblance wasn't causing fire, but was heating up around Yang. "You treat my sister's heart with care. I hope we have an understanding."

Weiss nodded and Yang steeped away and made her way out the school. Blake had to catch up to her storming out. The Faunus was concerned up until she saw Yang was holding back laughter. As soon as they crossed the threshold, Yang thought it to be safe and let it out. "Oh, my gosh. I didn't think I would hold a straight face. Think I successfully pulled off playing the big sister for today."

The two headed to the direction of the town. "Never seen Weiss that intimidated before. You really got under her nerves."

"Please. The second I said I knew her secret, it was too easy."

Blake didn't want to admit how honorable it was to see Yang so protective of her little sister. She was already boosting with confidence. Anymore and it could burst her ego. As they got into town, they made it to a restaurant. A really famous seafood restaurant that Yang had made reservations. It was normally a more proper dress code, but the owner's daughter was a graduate of Beacon. Students were welcome in any attire at a discount. Blake had mentioned in a passing conversation she had wanted to eat here long ago and didn't think Yang would remember a small comment.

As the two were seated in the bustling building, Blake took in the atmosphere. Dim lighting, well organized decorative jars, foliage and a small cosmetic pond in the middle of the main floor. Blake flipped open the menu and almost had a heart attack at the price tag for the appetizers let alone the entrees. She was quickly fighting with Yang about the money, but the blonde was sure to squelch the argument. Blake felt uneasy with the payment, but it seemed Yang was going to have her way.

Blake, being part cat, did enjoy tuna, but the finer seafood dishes were far more delectable. Garlic bread, lobster, and some wine was making the pleasant conversation only better as the two were talking personally about their pasts. Blake didn't know how this didn't come up as they were teammates, but she was glad to be the only one to know that Yang told such intimate stories, even the not-so pleasant ones. Blake couldn't tell if it was the atmosphere of the restaurant, or the few too many glasses of wine they've shared, but through the glassy eyes of love, Blake was seeing a delightfully mature side of Yang in conversation, even though she was trying to rub up against her calves with her insistent flirting. The Faunus couldn't resist dangling her leg out to give Yang her thrill.

After the meal, Blake wanted to collapse from satisfaction, but Yang still had more planned. As much as she didn't want to, Yang insisted they walk the meal off. With the storm over, Vale's streets were decorated with a small layer of snow. The edges of buildings and sidewalks were charmed even more by the beauty of the small scenery. The cold wasn't all wonderful, Blake's usual attire was not the best to combat the chilly weather. Without much a choice, she placed her arm around Yang's waist for warmth. Her girlfriend took it one step further and offered her the jacket, but Blake jokingly pointed out how that would barely cover the top of her arms.

Yang's body heat seemed to soar as they were walking through a park. "I came here earlier in the day," Yang admitted. "I was thinking about how cooped up we are on campus. We don't really get to enjoy nature unless it's training. It's hard to stop and smell the roses when you have some Grimm chasing you."

Blake understood and admired the scenery. Yang had a point. The trees were beautiful. Endless of the mighty evergreens were dotting the landscape, snow still at the tops of them and trickling down the branches. As they reached a secluded area of the park, Yang broke away, leaving the Faunus to miss the warmth as Yang started rolling a ball together.

"Hey, I'm not having a snowball fight in these clothes. My aura can only maintain my core so much," Blake protested.

"I wasn't going to throw snow at you silly. Come on, we're making a snowman," Yang said as she knelt down to pack more snow to the base. Blake was relieved by the answer and got down to work with her partner. Throughout the building, Blake's hands would get cold, Yang quick to cup them and breathe some life into the digits. The Faunus was expecting her to inch her hands to more private areas, but it seemed Yang was on her best behavior. If Yang really is going off of the books, those kind of antics wouldn't show up. Blake didn't know if she liked Yang mimicking her fantasy romance novels to this degree.

Patches of grass were showing up as Yang took her time packing snow. It made her miss being close as Blake was in the cold. They finished the snowman and decided they need a face. Both went off in separate directions to find ingredients. Blake found some rocks behind a tree that would make for a good mouth and eyes. The Faunus came back to the snowman to find Yang with hand over her mouth. As Blake came around, she saw that her partner had found a large branch and two pine cones for a codpiece and gonads. The Faunus couldn't hold back laughter as she reflexively belted out her love for the humor. Blake joined in and instead of making a smiley face, had the snowman express himself at the end of climax. A simple o-shape for the mouth and squinted eyes made for a more perfect snowman. The two held each other at the waists, laughing, as they were leaving their creation.

Blake didn't know where they were headed off the beaten path, but Yang knew where she was going. The Faunus noticed chipped bark on the trunks. All of them at Yang's arm level. She connected the dots and was put at ease that she wasn't being aimlessly dragged through the forest. Eventually, they hit a clearing, and beyond a small thicket of bushes was a small pond. A sheet of ice covered the water. The sun glimmered on the surface, reflecting the dew drops in the air. Blake's grip around Yang's waistline tightened at the beauty. She has never been to a place that has never seen violence.

Yang led Blake to a specific tree and leaped up to get a bag. The brawler unzipped it to bring out a pair of ice skates. "I went out on a limb here to get the back pack, also in hopes that you can skate."

Blake laughed at the dopiness of the pun. "I haven't done it in awhile, but I can pick it up quickly." She slipped on the skates and had slight trouble with balancing, but both of them got the handle of it within a few minutes. Blake has found it enjoyable this whole day to kick back and not think about the world's problems, even for a moment. The peace of mind knowing that someone or something wasn't going to attack them was enough for the Faunus to enjoy the day Yang had created.

The two circled the middle of the pond. Blake got colder and spun around to see Yang's face. The sun was setting and so was the temperature. If Yang had anything more planned, she would hope it would be indoors. Blake rested her forehead on the blonde's. Their bangs meshed together as they became crossed-eyed trying to gaze into the other's orbs. Blake saw her breath in the cold as she whispered. "Thanks for today. Couldn't have asked for a better date."

"It was my pleasure," Yang spoke in the same tone. They shared a small kiss. As much as Blake wanted to live in this moment forever, one without the realities of life, she knew it had to end. As the sun was slowly disappearing over the horizon, the two started their way back home.

The school had the heaters running, but the students wondered why. With such spacious areas it seemed like the electric bill would be an entire semester's tuition. Blake assumed it was aura training as even the dorm room was only slightly heated to reach a barely comfortable temperature. The two stood in the middle of the dark room, the sun fully set with the moonlight barely breaking through the drapes. Blake lazily wrapped her arms around the blonde and brought her in for a deep kiss. Yang kept her hands on the Faunus' waist, caressing the lower back.

Blake broke the session to congratulate the brawler. "So lucky to have a girlfriend this thoughtful."

"Never thought I could be this thoughtful. To be honest, though, I actually really liked planning it. It was fun to be so selfless. Thinking of the reactions you'd have when I took you to the pond, making the route, and timing it perfectly. It was alright being conventional."

Blake loved hearing Yang's words, but if she's being honest, it was time for her to come clean. "Glad to have changed your mind, but to tell you the truth, I missed your style of romantics. I loved the day, but the best parts were when you were you. Threatening Weiss to impress me, playing footsie underneath the table at a classy seafood restaurant, and giving the snowman the biggest cock and balls ever. Think the reason I loved the date so much though is that I realized that you're way better than any of those cliches. Leaps and bounds better. I've said before that the real world isn't the same as a fairy tale. For a single day, you at least let me experience it."

Yang flushed from the genuine feelings of love in Blake's confession. "Glad I could help you see it my way, but your fairy tale is fun to play with. I wouldn't mind from time to time if I'm able to plan something like it again."

"Absolutely," Blake said as she went in for a peck. Yang directed the Faunus to her bed and kept the kiss together. Blake was taken out of the moment as her butt felt a crumple of paper. She broke the kiss and reached down to find a folded paper with 'To Blake or Yang' written on the outside. Judging from the writing, it was from Ruby. Blake read aloud.

"Girls. Weiss is essentially kidnapping me and we're going somewhere. I hastily write this note to tell you we might not be back till late. Don't know what got into her, but don't worry about me."

Blake's pulse stopped and started at realizing that her and Yang would have the dorm alone for the next few hours. She looked over to her partner who was as shocked as she was. Blake didn't know if she was ready to take it a step further, but what she did know is that she was in love with the human. Blake talked under her breath repeating the statement that made her flush so violent red a few days ago in the spot.

"Yang." The blonde looked over with extreme curiosity. "You were right."

"Right about what?" was the honest question. Blake didn't want interruptions and unfortunately, unlike team JNPR, they didn't have a guy's tie to hang at the end of their doorknob to ensure privacy. Blake improvised and got the red strings from the Beacon uniform to create a miniature tie. The Faunus teasingly showed Yang her creation and watched the gears turn as she was piecing it together. Blake gave the doorknob its lewd decoration.

"Ohh. I told you I would bury my... mmph" Yang was cut off as Blake crushed her lips onto hers, sensual kisses trailing down to the human's neck. Yang let off a soft, appreciative moan as Blake reached the collarbone. She returned to the mouth, overlapping her lips with the blonde's. Yang's libido was usually ready, but the endgame was flaring it up to new heights as she tried to take control of the session by snaking an arm around the Faunus' waist, pressing their bodies together. Blake felt her partner's tongue touching her lips, yearning for entrance into the cavern. The Faunus willingly gave permission and Yang invaded her mouth. Blake shivered at the touch as Yang's tongue brushed past her teeth, the aggressive muscle caressing the Faunus' sensitive nerves. Blake ran her fingers through the incredible golden mane, giving a light tug whenever Yang's hand would brush up under Blake's top.

The session was getting hotter, literally, and slowly the girls were starting to disrobe. While still keeping their lips locked, the boots were the first to come off. Blake had never noticed how many accessories she wore, but was tempted to never wear them again as Yang had to take off a scarf, two black ribbons and stockings to get to her base clothing. Yang's hand left the Faunus as she untied her belt, relieving herself of her skirt and satchels. Her fingerless gloves were the last to come off before she grabbed at Blake's breasts. An appreciative moan was given by the dark-haired girl as Yang kneaded the mound assertively.

Blake felt a tug at her vest button and was enough for her to stop the kiss. Dizzy from lack of air, cheeks heavily flushed, and almost gasping for oxygen from the both of them. A single string of saliva broke as Blake sat on her knees, realizing they were the farthest they have gone physically in their relationship. The next one to lose a garment would be going in uncharted territory. Blake had to take a few seconds to process, but she didn't need any convincing as she was gazing into the lustful eyes of her partner. She had let both of them wait long enough.

The Faunus grabbed her partner's hand and placed it against her heart. With her longing amber eyes, she conveyed every emotion and feeling needed for Yang to take the next step. The brawler seemed surprised at the speed of her heartbeat, but received the message, closed her eyes and zeroed in on Blake's mouth. Using her free hand, Yang unbuttoned the raven-haired girl and slid the vest off her shoulders. Blake reciprocated with Yang's tan jacket and slung it onto the floor. The white sleeveless top was next, removing her partner's yellow tee was easier in comparison to her tight wears.

Blake stopped to take a good look at her partner. In a puce bra stood Yang, hungry for more as a small drool line hung from the corner of her lips. She noticed her heavy chest heaving from intake and her body light with sweat. Blake took a finger and played with the middle band, watching as Yang's breasts gave a healthy bounce. The blonde was pretty done with teasing and she attacked Blake's neck. The Faunus gave an savvy moan and Yang worked her mouth and her hands, following the band till she found the clasp. As soon as the bra was unhooked, the blonde trailed south leaving a mark to remember. Blake gasped with pleasure as a warm tongue was running over her pink areola. Feeling around Yang's back, she was able to unhook her bra and dispose both with the rest of the clothing. Blake grabbed more than a handful of breast and tweaked her nipple, delicate fingers making Yang moan into her while suckling on her nipple as Blake was losing control.

Blake accepted defeat as her partner was driving her closer to the edge. She lay on her back, body misbehaving, arching as Yang licked her nipple and rubbed the willing skin of her inner thigh. Golden tresses tickled the creamy skin of Blake's chest, accompanied by the brawler's tongue licking the supple flesh, leaving soft love bites as she effortlessly was causing Blake to let out inhibited yelps of pleasure. A tingling feeling that was almost overwhelming was bombarding the Faunus, starting at her lower stomach and spreading down to her crotch in sharp pleasurable jolts of lightning. Blake could wait no longer and quickly got rid of her shorts, revealing her matching black panties.

Yang trailed further and as her body moved down, the panties coming with her, the Faunus' juices clinging to the fabric as she stripped. Blake's eyes opened as the pleasure stopped. Maddened at the frustration of bring brought to the edge, only to be brought back, Blake jerked her head up to voice her complaint. Yang was hovering above her, but was reaching for her head. As Blake figured out she was aiming for the bow, her instinct to swat away her kicked in. It was when she saw her partner's sorrowed lilac eyes did Blake remorse her dissonance. She grabbed Yang's hand and placed it on one strand, and hers on the other. They pulled together to reveal the Faunus' ears that were twitching with joy.

"Beautiful..." Yang barely got out as she went in for a kiss. The brawler reached for the ears and removed the headband, stroking them gently. Blake felt pleasure pulsating towards her heart as Yang revved up Blake's engine again. Yang's hand trailed down, dancing across Blake's tight stomach to her core. She felt the blonde's ample chest spill onto hers as Yang positioned herself on her side, the Faunus' arm wrapping tightly around Yang's waist, fingers rooting themselves at the anticipation of Yang's touch. She rubbed the outer lips of Blake's womanhood causing her to gasp at the subtle contact. The blonde traced little hearts around the entrance, teasing the dark-haired girl into an almost delirious plane of ecstasy as the fingers circled her passage. The Faunus arched her back slowly upwards as Yang's thumb rubbed hard against her love button. Begging for Yang to stop teasing, the brawler slid in one finger with ease and added another as Blake's hips involuntarily bucked to the rhythm she had set. The blonde gently started, letting the other girl get used to her as the walls loosened around the fingers. The Faunus quivered as the blonde would hit her most sensitive zone, panting as her partner picked up the pace, heels digging into the mattress as the restlessness to climax set it. Yang thrust in and out of Blake with the elegance of a master. The Faunus tried hard to control her voice as the blonde curved her fingers, making sure to hit the spot as she was thrusting deep to the knuckles. Blake was not caring who could hear her in the halls. It was impossible to not be letting out screams of passion as Yang occasionally flicked her clit.

"I'm...I'm almost there..." Blake gasped out.

Yang's multitasking was skilled as her hands were commanding such an explosion of pleasure while simultaneously adhering to the more intimate aspects of love making. Peppering love bites on her neck and caressing Blake's cat ears as her other hand was working the Faunus' mound. "Let it happen," Yang whispered in her ear.

Blake gripped and twisted the sheets as she felt the pressure be released into a powerful orgasm, knees locking Yang's hand to her center. Yang tried to close her passage, but it wasn't enough for Blake's essence to have spilled onto the white sheets. The Faunus collapsed on the bed, catching her breath as waves of pleasure her crashing against her. As the woman recovered, she wrapped her arms lazily to bring the brawler on top of her. As her mind centered her eyes fluttered open to see a sight that struck a chord to her sexual desire for the blonde. Yang was licking her hand clean of the sweet juices of her lover. As the brawler noticed her partner's eyes fixated at the scene, she couldn't help but give the most devilish of grins, almost as if she knew Blake could arrive that hard. The sight alone was enough to give Blake her second wind and ask for more.

Three orgasms were had by the collective lovers. Two from Blake and, once she was able to regain control, gave Yang the best climax she had said to have. The two laid exhausted in bed, unable to continue for a round four. They lay in silence under the covers as the heat they had created was subsiding in the winter cold. Blake drew lazy lines down the blonde's tone stomach. Yang had already wrapped her arms around Blake's head and the Faunus was using the top of Yang's bosom as a pillow. The Faunus felt smothered as occasionally her girlfriend would shift her arms to pull her in closer.

The Faunus felt a small kiss get placed between her ears and prodded her into a peaceful slumber. Being cocooned in the safety of Yang's embrace had the Faunus dozing off quickly. Blake's spine crawled as she heard a small whisper from a blonde whom she thought was already in a deep sleep. "I love you, Blake."

The Faunus grinned deep, hoping to imprint her smile on Yang's flawless skin. Able to break from the iron grip, she climbed up to her partner's face and gave one last kiss on her lips. Yang kissed back and nuzzled into the thick black mane. " _My books have nothing on my blonde brawler... I'm glad I made that mistake._ "


	6. Weiss: Fluctuating Feelings of the Heart

Hello readers. Before we start, I do want to thank everyone who got me over 100 followers. I put that in the last chapter as a passive request not even thinking I could get to it, let alone pass the number. Again, thank you. Sorry to all Bumblebee fans, again, this is going to be a White Rose arc for awhile. Please stay and I hope you enjoy until we get back to Bumblebee goodness. Keep up with the Fav/Follow, they are greatly appreciated, and review, I read them all. Enjoy.

Weiss: Fluctuating Feelings of the Heart

Snow was glazing the surface of the Beacon courtyard, each flake lightly hitting the princess' head, melting slowly to the warmth of her body. The weather was her home. Being considered the ice princess gave an affinity for the cold to her body over time, but not to an extreme extent as most would think. Other than the childishness and dirtying of her battle skirt, she wouldn't partake in a snowball or flop about sycophantically to make a snow angel. Snow could be harrowing, but the pleasantness of a light fall is one of the best experiences she ever had.

Although she demonized the other immature acts of being in a snow, placing her tongue out and catching one flake at the tip was still as exhilarating as it was when she was a child. The cold sensation flickering as it melted to her tongue. A smile wrapped around the small face as the pleasant chill warmed her heart. Glancing from the fountain, she could see the endless lake that sprawled from the basin where the school was built. She leaned against the rock pillar, appreciating the frozen landscape, smirking to herself as one of the few people who can fully enjoy such a spender. The sheet of ice being filled with the light layer of powder. With the calming scenery around her, Weiss was at peace.

The heiress jumped as a pair of arms wrapped around her waist. The initial struggle was quelled at the high-pitched voice of her partner. "Calm down, Princess. It's me."

Weiss smiled at the voice. "Jeez, Ruby. You shouldn't sneak up on anyone like that. All of us are trained fighters, I was ready to throw an elbow."

The short-haired girl's head rested itself on her shoulder, chin digging into Weiss' small frame, Ruby's moist breath gracing her ear. "As you said, we're all fighters here. I would have caught it. Maybe even grab your other arm, cuff you, and pin you to a pillar."

The heiress had to hide a blush as the last few words were whispered so lustfully in her ear. She turned her head away from the huntress and continued to focus on anything less sexy that her partner. "What brings you out here? It's not like you are Yang with a fiery aura or myself with an icy one. It must be chilly out here for someone normal."

"The cloak is pretty good at keeping my heat together," Ruby said while extending her arm with the beloved robe drawn out . "Also, now that I'm holding on to you, you make a very nice space heater." Ruby tightened her grip following her sexy sentiments. Weiss continued to hold her ground. With her partner being ever playful, she didn't like to admit how easily she is able to get under Weiss' skin and cause the heiress' body to act so misbehaved. Regardless of how she felt, she placed one hand on Ruby's forearm, stroking it gently through the fabric. The other reached behind and played with the short tips of red that adorned her partner, touching the round softness of her rosy cheeks on passing.

Ruby responded to her partner's touch, nestling herself in the neck of the heiress. Small, lingering kisses were placed on the white skin, imprinting their form onto the sensitive tissue. "Please, Ruby. No marks today," Weiss whispered in a low tone. "It's hard to look your sister in the eye when I'm talking with her when I have to hide them in plain sight."

"Alright then," Ruby mimicked Weiss' tone, continuing kisses flowing from her neck to her shoulder. "What can I do then?"

With Ruby relinquishing dominance, Weiss freed herself from the loving grip and spun around in the young girl's arms. Weiss leaned on the pillar behind her to level herself to Ruby's height. Grey eyes were full of rascally lecherousness and smile eager to please. Weiss encircled her arms around the huntress and brought her in closer, lazily entwining her arms around the nape of Ruby's neck. Weiss gave her wordless answer and leaned into Ruby's face, tilting her head ever so slightly as their noses brushed past each other. Weiss gasped a little as Ruby's lips overlapped with hers, exhaling deeply as her body released to the loving bliss she was feeling. Ruby's hands rubbed up the slender sides of the heiress, rough fingers running across the fabric, throwing Weiss into a wave of ecstasy pulsating from the the fingertips.

Ruby pulled away. Weiss opened her eyes, catching to breath and noticing Ruby's flushing as hard as she was recovering from their kissing. Gazing at her partner's face, she detected Ruby had something to say.

"Weiss, I love..."

* * *

The white-haired girl bolted off her pillow. Breathing heavy, chest slick with sweat, and heart beating as if she had been running through a nightmare. She looked around at the familiar room, her personal bedroom. As reality started to focus, it all was becoming clear that she was dreaming. She surveyed her scenery. The white bedroom of the Schnee estate, blackout drapes covering the windowed doors to the balcony, soft tan carpets, and sat in the middle was the canopy bed, which could easily fit the whole team on the wide king size mattress.

Weiss grabbed her silk sheets for comfort, the dream still leaving a terrible aftertaste on her psyche. "What was that? That's twice now since I've been home that she has invaded my dreams. This time Ruby got more risque than last. Her lips were quite... pleasant. I mean, no. It was inappropriate and I should have thrown her off me. And please, like she is the Casanova type. I bet she could barely seduce a box of cookies as opposed to me, someone with class... and integrity, maybe."

The heiress was having trouble with Ruby dominating her thoughts. It wasn't just the dreams, but while awake, she found herself wondering what Ruby was doing at the moment. During some of the more dry aspects of company meetings, she would notice herself drifting off, staring outside towards the window at the clouds, curious if Ruby was doing the same thing back at Beacon. Weiss was finding her partner becoming more of a distraction as she was trying to bury the feelings she had. She picked herself up and walked to her personal bathroom. The tiles covered expertly with warm, silver shag rug, from the door to the sink and shower.

Weiss turned the faucet and poured some ice cold water onto her face, making sure to wake herself fully from her fantasy with Ruby. She looked back at the mirror, hair slightly disheveled and eyes dark from the lack of sleep was not up to her standards. The sun wasn't even up, but she figured going back to sleep would place her back at her Beacon illusion. It was best to get ready and enjoy the last day of her supposed vacation. She picked up her brush and started going through her long silky mane. "You would think some time away from her would make my feelings subside a bit, but I feel they are stronger than ever. I can't let her in. I can't let myself succumb to it. I don't need any distractions as I become the best huntress Beacon has ever seen. Watching Yang and Blake has made my heart yearn for similar companionship, but I know Blake's grades have dropped slightly and Yang's fighting form slacks whenever she's sparring against her girlfriend. Like I should grow an ulcer when that inevitability happens if I were to go out with Ruby. You need to concentrate, Weiss. No time for this dating nonsense."

Speaking to herself in the mirror only showed how much she was lying to herself. Blake and Yang may have slacked, but they were still outstanding huntresses in training. Her notions on not wanting to let Ruby into her life were the most obvious falsities. She placed her hand against the mirror, the cold glass having a small effect on the ice princess and she peered into her colder gaze. "I hate myself. I hate the fact that I have to deny myself of romance because the variable of being in a relationship could very well take me off my path to greatness. It's not the only reason though, is it, Weiss?" she whimpered, eyes glossing with fluid. The heiress reached for the tissue on the vanity before they were able to pool down her cheeks. "You're afraid of getting hurt. So many people have come into your life, professing love. Romantic love, platonic love... parental love. All of it only to be just misdirection to gain favor with a false promise of affection. You're scared of the first person to show genuine interest in you. You're scared to the possible endgames where Ruby loses her love for you and after the four years are up, departs from your life like a wisp in the wind. You're scared of putting yourself out there for someone only for them to reject you in the long run."

Weiss backed up and sank herself against the wall, burying her face in her knees. The heiress depressed with her lack of conviction, her inability to let herself be happy. When Weiss felt like she sulked enough, she got dressed and sat at her computer, looking for anything to entertain her. Constantly, she would catch the rose Ruby left in her luggage in the corner of her eye. The day Weiss got home, it was impossible not to notice the only red object in her sea of white clothing. Something so small was also the most thoughtful gift she had received, and that's coming from a person with enough Lien to purchase islands. As beautiful as the innocent act from her partner was, it was also the most bittersweet. On one hand, Weiss was completely flattered by the gesture. On the other, it shows that she didn't play it too close to the vest and Ruby saw through Weiss' facade, reciprocating feelings she wasn't ready to express.

She stopped browsing the web and picked up the bud from the small vase, inhaling the aroma. She angered herself on how quick her mind was able to connect the flower's scent to that of her partner. "I can't believe I bought her that rose fragrance to freshen up her clothing. Bad idea. Just like taking her on that date. I knew I would regret it. Ruby has clearly shown interest and now I am left with a ticking time bomb. I return to Beacon tomorrow. My hope is that Ruby doesn't have the courage to ask about it, but that's wishful thinking. Judging from the rose..." she paused examining the almost flawlessness of the flower, "she clearly wants to be more than what we are now. Wouldn't be surprised if she picked up on how I feel as a catalyst to her gifting me something so romantic. I have to give her a response."

After mulling around the internet, Weiss got up and walked around the house. What was convenient is that the mansion was big enough to walk around and get the blood flow going, hoping that an active body would create an active mind. As she was thinking, she got a text on her scroll from her mother. Weiss got annoyed as all it was was a passive aggressive reminder to brush up on her studies before returning to school. The heiress' education brought her away from the place she called home, releasing her of the stranglehold her parents had on her, but they still had a grip on her when not present.

" _Jeez, talk about how kids are a product of their parents. I sound like mother when I scold Ruby about studying. Ruby Rose..._ " she sighed deeply, thinking about the young heart hanging in the balance of her decision. "M _y intuition is telling me yes, but logically there's no way we could work out. Not without someone getting hurt. Ruby, what am I to do?_ "

* * *

"Hey, Miss," a gruff voice came from the darkness.

Weiss stirred, ignoring the presence of someone else as she was rudely being woken.

"Miss, please. If you're going to stay on here, you're going to have to show me your ticket," the voice democratically requested. Weiss felt the proximity of a person nearby and fluttered her eyes open when she realized it was not a dream, or the nightmares of Ruby she had been having. As her vision cleared, there was a man standing above her. He was middle-aged with a brown mustache and kind, but authoritative matching eyes. Judging from his multi-buttoned suit and astute cap, Weiss put two and two together and realized she was being confronted by the conductor.

A small tint rose to her cheeks at the embarrassment of being woken up by a complete stranger, but her brain woke up enough to scramble for what he requested. "Yes. My apologies, sir." Weiss checked off of her pockets, only to remember she places the ticket on top of her luggage. She reached into a small envelope and gave the man what he wanted.

His eyes scanned the paper and had good and bad news, depending on how Weiss would see it. The conductor gave a small smile and chuckled, "Good thing I am still a thorough inspector. You might have missed your stop, Miss Schnee."

Weiss' eyes popped, she looked outside to find the conductor wasn't lying. A sign in polished steel and other precious metals read ' _Vale Station_ '. She excused herself and swiftly departed the train. She looked towards the distance. Beacon Academy was a landmark in the city and plainly visible from where she stood. " _Just one more airship trip and I'll be at school... Where Ruby is... Where I'll have to talk to her._ " Weiss gulping at the ominous castle. Her time trickling down to the last pebble before she had to meet Ruby again. Most of yesterday was spent trying to relax and find a way out of the situation instead of a solution. The final conclusion was to face it head on with whatever she was able to think of in the train car. However, she hadn't anticipated falling asleep due to weariness.

Weiss hailed a cab to the airship field. She placed her head on the back of her hand and people watched to her destination. She didn't know if this was the universe trying to tell her something or annoy her, but she noticed the unusual amount of couples about. A light layer of snow came in from a storm and it seemed to bring out rather than keep in the citizens. Couples holding hands, kissing, talking at tables, enjoying hot coffee together. She was both repulsed and envious of the behaviors.

As she boarded the airship, she had a few more minutes to have to herself before the inevitability that Ruby would meet her. " _Might as well try and practice what I'm going to say to her. Ruby, I think you're great, but I need some more time to think about all of this. No... I can't lead her on. Especially when the thought of not pursuing this is still in my realm of possibility. Ruby, you really had me thinking about a lot of thing when I was off. I think that maybe we should go out on a date again. No... Even if I say that, it's not the whole truth. There's no guarantee that we could be happy. If anything, it's the opposite. It's just two girls who might waste away an opportunity at Beacon to follow romance._ "

Weiss could see the courtyard come into view. The spot, still slightly marked up from their first encounter was in sight. The heiress smiled. That confrontation so long ago. Ruby begging for a second chance, saying sorry over and over, and she couldn't have been any meaner to her future partner if she tried. " _Maybe that's the answer. I tell her I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I lack the courage to give into what we both are thinking about because it doesn't follow my master plan, that I'm a coward afraid to get hurt, that the calculated risk is too great._ "

Weiss, with luggage in tow, was hoping to avoid Ruby. If anything, she would like for them to be in private when she is gingerly letting her partner down while simultaneously disappointing herself. She entered the castle, Seemed most of the students were in their rooms as the entrance was scarce with bodies. In the direction of her dorm, she spotted the blonde and the Faunus walking towards her. It was nice to see their familiar faces until she saw Yang sporting a scowl that rivaled hers. Before she could say some greetings, the blonde was already in her face. The instinct to back up unconsciously kicked in and before Weiss knew it, had her back against a wall. "Get off me, you brute. I want to get to my room and unpack. I had a long day traveling..."

Weiss' protests stopped as the palms of the brawler slammed against her head. Weiss felt her throat start to close as the lovely violet eyes were turning a blood red, unable to tell if she was gazing into the older sister of her partner or the blood thirsty orbs of a Beowolf. "I know what you did with my little sister," Yang authoritatively pronounced.

Weiss felt her stomach knot at the sentence. The heiress herself getting hot. She knew it was because of her own guilt of keeping such information from Yang, but could also feel the brawler turn up her aura, making it hard to keep her composure. " _How did she find out? Did Ruby go and blab to her big sister about how callous I've been to her feelings? I swear if she did, she is going to get the roughest of tongue lashings. Keep your composure, Weiss. You can talk your way out of anything._ "

"I-I have no idea what you're talking ab-about. I didn't do anything," the ice princess was able to stammer out.

" _Smooth._ "

"Don't play dumb. You're not good at it," Yang snapped back. "Know that I'm not mad, but you are in a very interesting situation. Seems my sister has taken a liking to you. If you choose to go further with her, I think it's important to keep in mind you will be her first. Her first kiss, her first love, and potentially her first heartbreak. If the latter happens, I will be there."

Weiss felt the heat of the words as Yang was practically breathing them on her. Some spittle marking the heiress' mouth, but she dare not move in fear her predator would devour her. She felt sweat run down her face, too stiffened by Yang's rage to wipe them away.

"You treat my sister's heart with care. I hope we have an understanding," Yang chipped out and walked away with Blake in tow. As soon as she felt the fire of Yang drift out of the building, Weiss sunk to the floor, knees finally giving out from the alleviation of being confronted by the brawler in one piece.

" _I knew Yang had a temper, but I never thought it would be me that feels its wrath,_ " she thought as she placed her hand over her chest. " _My heart is racing like crazy. I didn't want Yang to know about this, especially when nothing is set in stone as of now. I know she is protective of Ruby and going behind her back was probably not one of my best ideas._ "

As Weiss' levels were returning to normal, she made her way back to the room. She took a deep breath as she let herself in, and a sigh of relief as she saw the room devoid of Ruby. She tossed her luggage on her bed, vowing herself to deal with it later. Weiss threw herself on her back and stared up at the top bunk belonging to her partner. Weiss mulled over Yang's words. She may have found the silver lining, but she couldn't help but see the extreme negativity in between the lines. Behind the usual scowl was a bad temper brewing. " _That blonde dunce should be so glad that Ruby fell for someone like me. I'm smart, beautiful, elegant, well off, and a promising huntress striving to be the best. Like I'm some common delinquent, that I'm so sure she must have fooled around with back in the day. I would treat Ruby right. I would be a respectable lady in all the dimensions of being in a relationship, whatever they may be. I would treat Ruby's heart with the attention it deserves, the affectionate gestures of a true lady, and the love she desires._ "

In the middle of her rant in her mind, the dorm room door opened. Ruby stood there, garbed in her usual black battle skirt with the red cloak. The young huntress was caught off guard by the heiress who now had her full attention on her. "Oh hey, Weiss. How was home?"

Weiss didn't answer the question. Her love of Ruby and hate of Yang's words were blurring the natural dazzling effect the leader has on her. " _I don't care what Yang thinks. She's not going to tell me what I can't do. If I feel like dating Ruby, I'm going to._ "

Weiss propped herself up and walked over to Ruby, slightly afraid of the robot-like appearance. The heiress grabbed Ruby's hand and was dragging her out the door. "You're coming with me. We're going to catch up with some fresh air."

"Wait. I want to leave Yang and Blake a note," Ruby begged, writhing her grip to go be a loyal sister and leader.

"Send them a text and tell them you're with me," Weiss snarled back.

"No. Yang and Blake are on a date. I swore I wouldn't disturb them," Ruby countered and effectively pulled on Weiss' heartstrings enough to let her run back inside the room and write her letter. The heiress didn't believe in superstitions, but she'd be damned if karma came and interrupted her and Ruby's date.

Weiss was forcefully dragging Ruby towards the airship field, like a mother pulling a child who was clearly in trouble. After Ruby left her letter, the snow princess hadn't noticed that her leader was uncomfortably silent. The reflection of the glass revealed the painful expression on Ruby's face. Head turned down, gray eyes not inkling with unwavering happiness, scared even, of something. It wasn't until Weiss looked into her own reflection did she the reason. Weiss has been mad and expresses it freely, but the manifestation on her face was more monstrous than usual. The red was clearing from her vision as she saw how she was behaving.

" _You should be ashamed. I could cut the tension with a knife with how I'm behaving around Ruby. Now I'm just acting on impulse._ _Look at me, saying I can't make up my mind so I let my wonderful mood created by Yang do it for me. The only reason I'm out here with Ruby is because of what she said. I need to clear my mind and enjoy myself. For once, make my own decision. Seems I've given myself some time with bringing Ruby out in public. I don't think she is one that would bring up private matters where everyone can hear them._ "

Weiss gazed over to her partner, still unsure of how to react. Ruby's palm was slick with sweat. Weiss didn't know if it was from intimacy or of fear her conduct, but she cooled down and tried again. "Home was pretty boring, as usual."

The calm annoyed tone of Weiss got Ruby's attention. She looked up to her partner, who was staring at the glass, eyes directed to hers. "Wh-what?"

"You asked about home. I'm answering. Keep up with the conversation, you dolt." Weiss wouldn't have believed if she hadn't seen it, but as if it's a pet name, Ruby's eyes lit up at the sound of the heiress' common vernacular. The warmth from Ruby's hand was meeting hers as she smiled and laughed again with her leader. It had only been a week, but it seemed like the girls could talk forever about the events that happened. Apparently, enough was happening around the barren campus. Team RWBY was having fun without their W. Ruby was spending more time with Blake, mostly just curious Faunus talk over baking some chocolate chip cookies. Seemed Yang was having a permanent effect on Blake and has been opening herself up more to the team. Weiss was shocked to learn how Yang prepared for their date, but also not shocked to learn that they might have used the heiress' bed for some fun. Weiss was sure to burn the sheets when she got back. With some free time, they cruised around more of Vale's downtown and found that a new bakery had opened up. The three of them taste testing each of the delectable treats, Ruby of course having final word on cookies.

Weiss was jealous. As she was going over her week away from the team, it seemed uneventful. Sure she went to a spa, went to her private beach house, and spent a couple days at sea on her family's yacht, yet none of it held up for her when doing it her servants and bodyguards. She might as well been alone. It would have been the same experience. However, Ruby was hanging off every word that Weiss was saying. Not because of the wealthy aspect, but because she was genuinely interested in what Weiss had to say.

The usual back-and-forth between the girls continued as they reached downtown Vale. The streets were clearing up as the sun was slowly setting, but the layer of snow was decorating the buildings well. The powder gave off a pleasant view as the street lamps were turning on, giving a gentle crush as their boots meshed against the ground. The temperatures may be dipping, but the ice princess was fine and Ruby had effectively wrapped her cloak around her frame, encasing the heat.

"I know meetings can be like class and be boring, but it can't all that bad, can it?" Ruby asked inquisitively. Weiss scoffed at her naivety, clearly never been in a business office.

"Ruby, it's like being in Professor Port's class with no distractions, no friends, and no sense of when it's going to end," Weiss explained, Ruby letting out a gasp of fear from hearing the treacherous words. "The only good part is the end and when we talk about revenue streams. This time I was slightly more invested as we did talk about Torchwick and other possible locations he and The White Fang could hold up. The company sure put their best foot forward. I think Roman better get more clever if he wants Schnee Company's dust."

"I'm glad it wasn't so bad this time. I thought you go to learn how run the business?"

"I did, but I figured out father's secret long ago. Hire other people to do it for you. When I'm in the office, I'm not there to learn stocks and trading routes or investor's interests. I look around the table and see who has merit and who is devious. Keep the loyal ones and scrap the ones who will turn on me when I take the helm."

"That's actually kind of scary. How do you sniff them out?"

"I would like to think I have a good judge of character. I saw past Blake being a Faunus, seeing that she is a person with a different opinion than me and overall a person with a good heart that wanted a second chance. I'm also still here with you. You better believe that I was going to go against Ozpin's rules and get the boy wonder out of the tree and be his partner. No, I came back, because you were the lesser of two evils, and before that you had shown some competency in your knowledge of Crescent Rose. Even if all I knew before that is that you're a klutz, you like cookies, and making loud noises when people are trying to sleep, I could see that you're a master of your weapon, and most likely a skilled fighter, even if I didn't want to admit it at the time," Weiss finished and smiled down at her leader, gray eyes full of joy at the admittance of Weiss being green-eyed.

"I so knew it. It's hard not to be jealous of all of this perfection," Ruby teased, striking a fencer's stance, mocking Weiss' choice of style.

"I thought leaders were to be humble. Sure hope Opzin or Goodwitch don't see the arrogant leader of Team RWBY boasting her excellence and looking down on her subordinates. So unprofessional," Weiss jested, effectively cornering Ruby and receding back to a silence. One more thing Weiss didn't dare admit is how much she was enjoying the time spent with Ruby, how much the leader meant to her, how much she was hoping Ruby counted this as a date, so she could kiss her.

The two stopped in front of a pleasant coffee shop. Tiny, could maybe only seat fifteen people, but it seems the cold weather had already taken its toll on the citizens and sent most potential customers inside their homes. Ruby excused herself to use the restroom and Weiss stood outside, back against the marbled wall as she thought about her partner. " _Can't believe I would ever admit that secret. I was sure to take it to the grave that I found Ruby to be a threat. Well, I freed up one secret to add room for another. I have never been more attracted to that girl in my life than I do right now. Her face, her smile, the energetic cheerfulness that annoys me. I want it. I want all of her. I..._ "

"Keep moving and walk to your right."

Weiss was snapped out of her romantic cerebration as the cold, gravelly voice was followed with a sharp point nipping her on her back. The heiress wanted to run, fight, scream, but she already has a scar and wasn't ready to add another one. Besides the lack of people wouldn't make a difference to her plight if the suspect was a professional. Prettified, she found the huntresses instinct and walked slowly forward, acting as naturally as possible.

"Turn in the alley," the voice came again.

Weiss could tell this man was knowledgeable of the lay of the buildings. The alley was not as inviting as she would hope. Some dumpsters and trashcans overflowing with litter, cardboard boxes flattened on the ground, and the perfect pitch of black to make whatever transaction not easily visible to passer-byes. Weiss kept her composure as he backed away and held the knife at a less than advantageous range.

"Turn around."

Weiss did as told and turned to see the silver blade pointed at her throat. The heiress faltered slightly as the blade was pressed against her throat. Weiss knew the man was not to be taken lightly. His many jackets, keeping him warm in the winter were decorated with some military prizes and signatures. She almost discredited him as a vagrant until she saw the blade. It was no ordinary kitchen knife. Strong short handle, a five-inch blade, serrated towards the base, perfect for close quarters combat and, judging from how it felt pressed against her throat, deadly sharp.

"Wallet and jewelry."

Weiss felt a slight relief roll over her. There were a thousand worse scenarios than simply losing material possessions and the few hundred Lien she carries around. She slowly reached inside her pockets on her jacket and brought out a wallet that cost more than the Lien inside. "Can I just have my IDs back? Hobo code, right?"

"We'll see. Necklace and earrings now," the man said, keeping one eye on her and concentrating simultaneously at the contents in her wallet. The heiress didn't care to much about the earrings, but the necklace carried some sentimental value. It was the last gift she received from her grandfather. The little apple-shaped sterling silver pendent was the representation the apple in his eye. Despite how she was feeling, she would make another. Replaceable, unlike her life.

Weiss analyzed her target. She was right in the military hunch. If he was homeless, it wasn't for very long. His high and tight haircut was shagging on the top, greasy bangs hanging in front of the hard brown eyes. The man was about as masculine as Jaune when it came to facial hair. Barely a half-hazard beard, patches on the underside of his jaw. He didn't seem like a hardened solider, just a solider that fell on hard times.

She handed over the earrings and necklace. In one swift motion, he took the jewelry and placed them hurriedly in one of the many pocket lining the camouflage coat. A diabolical grin spread across his face, worrying the heiress as he let out stifled snickers. "I might as well have hit the jackpot. A Schnee."

Weiss felt the blood deplete from her face, her already pale features becoming ghost white. The mugging taking a far more darker turn. "Look, I gave you what you wanted. I'll leave now and won't have the entire police squad of Vale searching for you." Weiss now feeling the fight or flight response of adrenaline. The fencer was choosing the latter.

"I knew that I noticed the crest on your jacket. As luck would have it, it wasn't some present from a family member, but royalty itself." The now devious eyes narrowing on the heiress, like a lion before her prey. Weiss was analyzing her options. There was a trash can next to her, and the knife was in the left hand. A swift dodge to the right for a shield wouldn't be the worst of options. She felt she couldn't disarm him in a close quarters combat. The difference in size was noticeable.

From the streets, a hero called out. "Over here, you jerk!"

Weiss head darted as she saw a large paper cup hurling towards them. Before the attacker could react, a brown steaming liquid splashed against his face. Weiss felt a slight sting as some of the cups contents hit her. An angry yell of pain belted out of the man. In a flash, Ruby released her semblance and was in front of him and gave a hard punch to the gut. With his body bent forward, she used her other hand to shove another cup of hot brew in the man's face. With a final strike punched through the cup, seeing the leader wince in pain with the blow.

Ruby grabbed Weiss's hand. "Come on, run!" The heiress didn't hesitate. Seemed the fighting was over and it was time to bail. Weiss hailed a cab quickly and paid the driver triple if they could get to the airfield as soon as possible. Before the adrenaline of the incident could wear off, they were already on the airship back to Beacon.

Sitting next to each other, Weiss could see the young leader nursing her wound. She wouldn't be very grateful if she didn't extend a helping hand. She brought a tissue out and asked Ruby for her hand, covering and applying pressure to the cuts on her knuckles. "I want to say thanks, but seriously, what took you, Ruby? I was out there for five minutes before that man showed up."

"I'm sorry. I went to the bathroom and noticed that they had a cookie flavored blend of coffee. I figured that I get it because the sun is already down and I didn't know how much longer we were going to be out. A warm cup would hold me over for the next hour or so. It's not like I was being selfish. I saw your favorite, Earl Grey, and decided I'd come out with something for each of us. It's not like I could anticipate a mugging. I was freaked out when I didn't see you. If I didn't take a lucky guess to where you went, I might not have found you," Ruby explained, almost sorrowful in her reply that was unnecessary being the savior.

"If you already weren't hurt I would be strangling you for stopping for cookie coffee. It's not like I needed your help. I was already formulating a plan to get out before you rushed in," Weiss scolded her, shuffling the tissue to a less bloody part. "And look at your hand. Your aura will fix it quick, but this could have been avoided along with the dry cleaning to get the stains out of my battle skirt."

"I'm sorry. I'll pay for it."

"No. No, you won't. It'd bankrupt you with where I go. Just use your head next time, Ruby."

"I did. I saw an opening and I took it. I would be a terrible partner if I didn't rely on instinct every once in awhile," Ruby explained. Weiss intrigued by the leader's explanation and decided to listen instead of dismissing it as a childish impulse. "I acted on instinct because it's the right thing to lead off. It may not go as I plan as best intentions are fraught with disappointments, but it's worth it to be honest with yourself. Trust what you are doing is correct. If I didn't do that, then you might have been the one gotten hurt."

Weiss absorbed the words. The answer she was looking for what right in front of her. " _Instincts. Just follow what I feel is right and hope for it to all be OK?_ " She looked up at the leader, gray eyes wincing whenever Weiss would expose the closing wounds to air, yet glimmering to the softness of the pale moon. Her delicate fingers in her hand, marked with callouses from Crescent Rose, that cursed scent of her own vanilla shampoo again lining her follicles, the cute button nose, the silly cloak she dragged around like a security blanket, the red tips of her hair perfectly framing her cute round face... her lips. There was only one thing Weiss' instinct was telling her. " _Kiss the girl._ "

Before she could act, the airship stopped and the two walked towards Beacon, Weiss finally found the courage to halt the two in front of the fountain before they reached their point of no return. Ruby turned around to see the crystal blue eyes softening as the internal struggle to be a perfect romancer was neutralizing the heiress. Still, the sharp eyes had their effect on the leader's heart. As Weiss gently pulled her closer to her by the hand, entwining the delicate digits with her own, she felt a shiver run through herself as Ruby's body covered the gap and the leader looked with eyes yearning for her touch. Weiss took one step closer, invading Ruby's personal space efficiently. She felt Ruby's breathing quicken as her arm found its place on her waist, frozen air creating the visible vapor as she exhaled. Scrambling to mimic Weiss, she placed her hand at the base of her neck, slowly pulling in the ice princess as Weiss targeted her lips.

It was short, sweet, and a little clumsy, but the second the heiress' lips touched Ruby's, the anxieties that had been rattling her mind were silenced. It felt so perfect as the soft marshmallow lips were forming with hers, the slight taste of sweet coffee coating Ruby's mouth, a small slick of saliva on the ends. All of it and more is what the heiress desired for so long and now it is more perfect than what she imagined in her mind. As her lips overlapped for the last time, her grip released and let Ruby step back, her face invisible as her blush was deep enough to mirror her coat. Weiss herself was a scarlet hue as the heated kiss was making her body fluster.

Ruby scrambled to think of something post kiss, but all she was able to get out was, "I... I umm... That was nice and-and all... I think. Umm... I should go-go to the ro-om or something."

The young leader, embarrassed and fleeting from the act, flash-stepped out of the situation as fast as she could. Weiss worried she would cause a commotion and pursued Ruby back to the dorm. On her way, she saw Ruby sprinting back to her. "Ruby, stop. I know it was..."

Ruby snatched her hand stronger than earlier when she was getting mugged, catching the heiress off guard and almost pulling the arm out of her socket as Ruby ran in the opposite direction screaming "Oh my goodness, I didn't hear. No. No. No. It was something else entirely." Weiss pulled and tried her best to resist her spazzy partner from dragging her around the school. Ruby tired herself out at the entrance hall, resting her back behind a pillar, covering her entire body with her cloak.

Weiss couldn't believe how fast the elation of kissing someone special could be depleted so quickly as her partner acted weird, even for her standards. "You mind explaining what that was all about?"

Ruby had been murmuring into her knees, but stopped long enough to explain to Weiss. "I-I... I heard some things when I got closer to the room." Weiss' ears perked up, urgent to hear if there was trouble brewing. "I... I heard Yang screaming."

Weiss' protective instinct came into play and interrogated her leader. "Ruby, what happened? Is Yang in trouble? Should we be going back? Was anything said about what was happening?"

The heiress didn't mean to bombard Ruby with so much so quick, but precious seconds counted if someone is in peril. "There was something like. 'Don't stop, Blake. Right there. Those Faunus fingers are magic.' And then she let out a loud shriek."

Weiss' face heated up hotter than the passionate kiss shared minutes ago from what sounded like Blake and Yang finally having sex in their dorm room. The heiress was blown back enough from the information given and slumped down next to her partner, Weiss now thinking of more rules she would be adding in the morning now that Blake and Yang had crossed into that stage of their relationship. She felt the small hand of Ruby grip onto hers. Weiss was fearful that the sexual acts of her sister was spurring on feelings within her, but was bittersweet to see her face full of anxiety. "So-sorry you had to hear that. Winter was always polite and protected me from such sounds, but if I had to guess another part of her reason to keep the sounds hushed was so our parents wouldn't hear. I wish my parents had the same sentiment as the mansion has incredible acoustics. I've heard Mother and Father say some things that have made my spine crawl."

Ruby didn't say anything to the comment, most likely trying to repress the memory of ever being near the room. Finally, she spoke up, "What do we do? I don't know when they'll stop. If they'll stop."

"Well, it's not like we can barge in. Bad enough you had to hear it." As Weiss was running through the options in her head, she felt Ruby's arm sneak up behind her, startling the heiress and wondering what brought on this bold action. "Care to explain this?" she questioned as she pulled on the red fabric.

"This is a cloak, not a blanket, and an old one at that. I'm going to get cold if we end up sleeping here," Ruby honestly put out. Weiss hadn't considered sleeping here, but unless they spent the night trying to look for a random bed in the school, they would only waste time. The heiress scooted over, welcoming Ruby's invitation and body heat. She wasn't cold, but it was enjoyable curling up to Ruby's curves and sharing their warmth. She placed her hand on her side of the cloak and brought her in closer with Ruby.

As the night was passing, Ruby's head cradled itself into Weiss neck, the heiress knowing soon her partner would fall asleep. With the relaxed air, the ice princess laid her head onto Ruby's, still irritated her hair smelled of vanilla, but was soft to the touch. It wasn't the most ideal way Weiss saw this ending, but considering the circumstances, this wasn't so bad to her.

"Weiss..." the leader whispered out.

The heiress was slightly annoyed as she was trying to sleep, but answered low and politely. "What's up?"

"Can we not have the day we kissed also be the day Yang and Blake... you know. Can we lie to ourselves and say our first kiss is tomorrow?" Ruby asked, pleading for the princess to have the same opinion as her.

Weiss couldn't have concurred faster. She took Ruby's hand, cuts healed and the scabs giving a roughness as Weiss caressed the wounds with her thumb. "Absolutely, Ruby. Just go to sleep now. You don't want to know how long a day it has been for me."

Ruby hummed her response and dug further into Weiss' neck. The white-haired girl wasn't sure how her boney shoulder could be comfortable, but it seemed to put Ruby fast asleep. Weiss decided to be underhanded and sneak a chaste kiss on Ruby's forehead. " _So... instincts led me here. I hope I can rely on them in the future. This was kind of nice._ "


	7. Ruby: The Sprouting Bud of Romance

Hello again. Three weeks go by fast. Again thanks for all the fav/follows and reviews. Please keep it up, maybe will hit 100 favorites or 150 followers with this chapter. Yay landmarks. Again another White Rose and I promise Bumblebee will have their return soon. Give a shout out to Bakki on Deviantart who will have a cute picture for this. Fav/Follow and review and enjoy.

Ruby: The Sprouting Bud of Romance

The young leader awoke, determined to keep her eyes closed, not wanting to acknowledge the day as it was starting off atrociously. Her back and butt were horribly sore as concrete isn't the best surface to be sleeping on. Wisps of cold air floated throughout the academy's open windows woke Ruby up randomly in the night, wrestling her out from having a good night's sleep. With an exhausted mind, she almost forgot the wonderful little princess resting on top of her head. At first, Ruby thought she woke up with a glorious headache until she felt the gentle breathing of her partner. The urge to get up and stretch subdued to give Weiss a few extra moments of sleep.

" _Do I move or do I sit still? Move? Sit Still? Move? Sit Still? Move?... Forget it. It's not like I'm in a hurry to do anything in particular. I'll suffer through the annoying pains poking at me just so I can have her with me. Oh, when did it start heating up? I was freezing... Oh, I'm blushing super hard,_ " Ruby thought as she was noticing her whole body resonate at the idea of her crush's figure so close to hers. " _Oh my gosh, I don't know whether to love or hate how my body is reacting right now. I've never felt my face so hot. Ugg... I can hardly imagine it last night as I was standing in front of the fountain. The second I saw her steely blue eyes, I couldn't hold it back if I tried. I felt my whole body radiating heat as she pulled my body closer, the happy accident that occurred as I was able to somehow cradle into Weiss' form as she took the lead and took my lips for the first time._ " Ruby reminisced fondly, bringing her fingers, touching the tips of as softly as Weiss had. " _If that's that what a kiss is like then I have no regrets waiting for someone special to share it with. It was so beautiful. It was like feeling the rush of a battle, but put into one single action. My heart felt like it was going to pop out of my chest it was beating quickly. If I wasn't petrified that I was actually kissing Weiss, I would have asked for more. It was so amazing._ "

Ruby took a look down to the hand that brought her into the loving action. The fragile fingers still interlaced with hers. The cuts on her knuckles healed very well over the course of the night. Ruby let herself believe that the combined auras of the two girls helped the wounds mend quicker.

The sudden movements of the white-haired girl awaking startled Ruby. The young leader sat still as Weiss stirred herself awake, the usual yawn of a peaceful slumber was replaced by the groans of an awful night's rest. The loving arm that kept the two glued through the night was now outstretched, the slender build cracking in places, relaxing the no doubt stiff joint and bones from their concrete cot they called a bed. Ruby peered up, the heiress with a more than fierce scowl already.

"I would ask if you slept well, but I already know the answer," Ruby mentioned tenderly, not wanting to provoke the already annoyed Weiss.

"My body feels like it was mauled by a Beowolf. My back has never been so sore," the heiress replied, peering at the opened window. "Good thing my internal clock woke me up. Looks like we got up just in time for the mess hall to start their cooking which means no one saw this sad picture. A couple of teammates kicked out of their rooms because of the very lewd escapades of Yang and Blake."

Ruby felt the twinge of embarrassment as the sounds of her sister howling in pleasure slipped back into her mind. She quickly shrugged it off and was hoping to successfully repress that memory. "It wasn't all bad, though." Weiss turned, the answer too absurd for her taste, Ruby flustered from the eye contact sheepishly let out. "You know... it was kind of nice cuddling with you."

As Ruby had the courage to look up at her partner, a small tint had risen to her cheeks, giving the leader the full understanding of what Yang does when she compliments Blake. The small surge of confidence was spreading a warm smile on the round face. Weiss noticed the odd behavior of the normally demure nature of romance as of now. "What's with that look?" eyebrow raised. Ruby stayed silent, reveling in the fact that Weiss isn't trying to fight the natural reaction of her feelings. Ruby could see the conflict slowly resolve itself as the heiress let out a small smirk before changing the subject from her blushing face. "Hey. One, stop it. Two, I'm pretty hungry. Since we slept not ten feet from the mess hall, I was thinking of going to get the food while it's fresh."

Ruby realized how peckish she was after the glow of being with her crush was dissolved. She placed a hand in her stomach, analytically determining what to get. "I'll have a stack of pancakes topped with berries, load it with syrup, with a side of yogurt and milk."

Weiss rolled her eyes at the favored beverage choice. The heiress got up and dusted herself off, relinquishing Ruby's cloak. Like a proper lady, Weiss remembered to hand-truck up her partner and collectively was smoothing over their clothing. "I swear, all that sugar is going to come back to haunt you one day. Do me a favor, though. Regardless if they are up, ask what the other two want for breakfast and I'll carry it back."

A shiver ran up her spine at the thought of walking back to the room alone, but Ruby knew it was impossible for Yang to be up at half past the crack of dawn. "Yea-yeah. I promise." Weiss headed to get the meal for four as Ruby made her way towards the dorm. So long as there wasn't any noise coming from beyond the wood panel, she wasn't going to run away covering her ears. To the initial displeasure, there were sounds coming from inside, but it wasn't the pleasures of love, it was a lot of scurrying and worrying. Ruby put her ear to the door, the muffled sounds of her sister filtering through.

"Where do you think I should go looking first, Blake? All we know is that Weiss took her out and that limits our options to just about all of Vale. Anything to narrow my search down before I go gray would be helpful." Ruby felt a wave of relief as it felt safe to enter the room. Still cautious in fearing Yang could be talking to Blake completely in the nude, Ruby closed her eyes and creaked open the door slowly, peeking her head around the frame, peeping just enough to see Yang in her yellow singlet and shorts, fastening her boots to her feet.

Yang was fixing her sock that was always loose, a compulsion of getting dressed in the morning. The blonde fixated her stare towards the door, flipping her attitude as Ruby entered the room. Yang leaped off the bed, grasping the younger sister and lifting her off the ground. The surprising strength of Yang's hugs crushed the air out of Ruby, the leader trying to fight her way out of the smothering, but let the brawler have her way this one time.

"Oh my gosh, Ruby! I was scared out of my mind when I didn't see you in the room this morning. I thought something might have happened."

"That's great... Yang, but... you're hurting me..." Ruby barely got out. The older sister got the message, but still kept her little sister in her arms a little longer until the leader wiggled out.

Yang turned her head to holler back towards the bathroom, "Blake, you can take your time now."

"I noticed." the Faunus replied.

Yang directed her attention back to her sister. "I knew I forgot something. I don't wake up early for fun. Ruby, where were you? I know you and Weiss went out, but the second I noticed you weren't in your bed, the worst case scenarios started popping up in my head."

Ruby smiled, grateful that her sister was still this concerned about her safety, not so much that Yang reeked of the smell of sex, forcing her to confront the reason she didn't come home. "Thanks Yang, but we came back last night, and umm..." Ruby's face heat up as she was finding the most delicate words to tell her sister about last night. "We-we came to the room and-and we... heard noises," Ruby stopping, unable to continue further with the explanation.

Yang's expression was confused at first until the light bulb turned on. "Oh... Ooohhh." Yang placing a hand over her mouth, a slight flush to her cheeks. "I am... wow. I certainly was not paying attention to the clock last night. I umm... just don't tell Blake. I'll let it slip in conversation. Where did you sleep then?"

"Out in the entrance hall. Sucked it up and accepted what was happening. I know you really like Blake... and you're very tame when me and Weiss are around. The least we could do was selflessly give you girls some private time," Ruby said, diverting her eyes away from the mention of sex.

Yang beamed at her young sister, "Thanks Little Sis. Last night was a long time coming for us and an interruption would have ruined the magic. I know you're used to taking one for the team and all, but you're getting rewarded this time. I'll get you that special cookie we see at the bakery next time, the one with chocolate and icing. You could share it with Weiss."

Ruby's eyes shrank, a small tremble running through her as she thought her sister was onto what she and Weiss were up to. The leader looked up to her sister wearing a smile so sure she had struck a nerve. "No-no, it's fine. Get Weiss something else," Ruby quickly covering up her tracks.

"Come on, Ruby. I told you about me and Blake way back when. Is there anything going on between you and Weiss?" Yang asked with sincerity. Ruby felt like it was a trap, like there was something she did to elicit such a specific question. The leader stared towards Yang, lilac eyes ready to accept any answer she would give. Ruby gave into her desire to keep it a secret, not knowing how Weiss would react if others knew being an excuse enough to lie.

"No. Weiss and I are just friends," Ruby shyly replied. The older sister pressed harder.

"Sure about that. I remember my little sister being oftly mopey last week, sitting in Weiss' bed a lot, burying her face into her pillow..." Yang teased, Ruby's face reddening as the very accurate depictions of last week's acts. She wasn't going to admit to it, but she was a little lost without her partner around. The second she left the rose in the luggage, her stomach was in knots, waiting for a reply and as the days went by she was getting herself depressed with the lack of response. She didn't expect to be so forlorn with her decision, and it seemed to be fairly obvious to Yang, but she risked it all and at the time, not knowing it would end in her favor. Lacking any link to Weiss while she was gone had her stretching to keep the connection, like smelling her vanilla scent of her shampoo.

"No. Yang... just, can you let this one go right now?" Ruby pleaded with her sister, big gray eyes in full effect, but the blonde was immune to the nature of the puppy-dog stare when her little sister was trying to get out of something. To Ruby's surprise, Yang put her hands on her shoulders.

"Fine. You keep your little secrets, but Big Sis is here if you need her. Especially if you need me to pummel a certain heiress for breaking your heart," Yang guaranteed, freeing Ruby from the sudden interrogation. She knew Yang was on to her, if not knew about exactly what was going on, but she seemed to reciprocate the privacy in her relationship as she did. The sisterly bonding moment ended when she got a seething text from Weiss on her scroll.

" _How long does it take to get your sister and Blake's orders?_ " Ruby imagining her princess with arms crossed, furiously tapping her foot against the floor waiting for Ruby to finish her task.

Ruby frantically asked her sister what she wanted in exchange for what Weiss and her did last night. The young leader was fine with revealing her share, excluding the kiss. Yang was already in a playful mood, any mention of kissing would spur nothing but cheek pinching and teasing. As Ruby was sharing her night, Yang was proud at her sister was the hero she knew she would be when she took care of the crook. Ruby was happy to hear everything before the bedroom part of Yang and Blake's date, amazed how creative she had gotten to impress Blake. The Faunus overhearing the conversation from the open bathroom, throwing in her opinion when the occasional over-exaggeration was grossly inaccurate.

"Oh, please, I was pretty decent on skates. You were the one losing your balance because you were losing control of your aura and melting the lake causing the ice to slick."

"Well, I was very distracted by you. Your butt looks very good in skates. It's the reason I hate the school uniform. Those loafers do not do you any favors."

Ruby sat back, watching the two heartily flirt back with each other. The little flame of Ruby's budding relationship with Weiss seemed insignificant compared to the inferno now burning between Blake and Yang. It put a lot into perspective for Ruby, how much she'll have to work with Weiss to make their new relationship not fizzle, how little she knows, and how much she can't wait to dive right into it.

Weiss came in, a tray being slowly maneuvered to by the perfect balance and careful footwork of the fencer. Ruby bounced off the bed to help her partner, guilty for not asking for her aid after seeing the meal load. "Geez, Weiss, sorry for not offering a helping hand. I should have remembered how hard it is considering I sometimes get all of us food." Ruby grabbed the drinks to lessen the difficulty of the balancing act.

"I told you I would handle it. Don't think you getting the drinks halfway through the door is going to make me less annoyed by making me wait five minutes for a reply. Never make a lady wait," the heiress scolded. Weiss' attention was waned as she looked past Ruby's shoulder, brows narrowing as she was perplexed by something. She lowered herself close and whispered low enough for only Ruby to hear. "Your sister and Blake are giving us very curious stares."

Ruby turned with the drinks in hand and saw Yang murmuring something funny, hands now covering Blake's mouth, clearly suppressing laughter. Ruby immediately knew they were talking about her, but carried herself pretending not to notice.

A pile of pancakes, french toast and assorted fruits were laid out. Each equipped with a plate and fork, each were picking off what they wanted from the mound. The rest of the team were catching up with Weiss, pretty dazzled with the extent of her wealth. Yang already was trying to convince the heiress to spend the next vacation with her. Weiss denying up and down that she is not some Lien stimulus package that they can pilfer for free luxuries. However, the white-haired girl was not the spitfire monster she used to be and promised to think about it so long as there wasn't too much to do back at the company.

Ruby quietly ate as she let Blake and Yang question Weiss on their week off. With already having heard about her partner's week, she was letting her mind wander. The easily-distracted girl fixed on one action Weiss was making in particular. Every once in awhile, the heiress would be grabbing at her neckline. Ruby first thought she had an itch above her cleavage, having to avert her gaze in hopes none of her teammates would notice. It wasn't until she realized her apple necklace was missing. Something she sees everyday, almost a staple of Weiss' appearance, she barely noticed was gone. Ruby wanted to discount that it could have been stolen, but she was sure she was wearing it last night and couldn't have taken it off before entering the room. " _Could she have lost it in the mugging? I wasn't thinking about that. I just saw her in trouble and fought back. I didn't even take into consideration she may have already had her jewelry stolen... I may have made a misstep._ "

As soon as Blake and Yang had their fill, they decided to go out and window shop in Vale's downtown district. The tight time schedule of yesterday's date had them not truly enjoy some of the magnificence that was the winter wonderland of the small city. As the two left, Ruby was figuring out a way to ask Weiss about the necklace as they were cleaning up the dishes. Weiss was sitting at her desk, reorganizing it for the upcoming semester. Ruby grabbed her desk chair and sat next to her partner, fiddling with her fingers to give the illusion she was helping. Weiss picked up on Ruby intruding in on her personal space and had to question the actions.

"What are you doing? If you need pencils, I told you last time, no. All you do is stick them up your nose or balance stuff from the tip," Weiss proclaimed.

"It's not that. I'm all prepared, don't you worry about that. It's just that... it dawned on me. When we were eating, you didn't have your necklace," Ruby pointed out, causing Weiss to momentarily pause before returning casually to her work.

"No. I was mugged yesterday, if you remember," The heiress said, the scowl growing fiercer on her forehead.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't even thinking about it when I jumped into action. I ran in and got you out. It didn't even occur to me what was going on," Ruby frantically apologizing.

"You didn't know. It's fine. What matters is that you got me out of there safe. It would be inconsiderate of me to not put the whole thing into perspective," Weiss swiveling in her chair, icy orbs now staring at Ruby, gently morphing to a more caring gaze. Weiss outstretched her arm, cupping the leader's face. "You did great. Please, don't worry about it."

Weiss lowered her hand to Ruby's shoulder, reassuring of her good deed. "But... I saw you grabbing at your neckline a lot, where the necklace use to be. You miss it."

"I do, Ruby." blue orbs saddening at the memory. "That one did have some special significance, but there's no reason to concern yourself about it."

"No, Weiss. Tell me. I want to know. Even if you say I can't fix it, I'm curious," Ruby insisted.

Weiss let out a deep sigh, lamenting on her loss. "That little apple necklace I wear everyday is from my grandfather. Probably the only person in my family to treat me like family, not just some commodity he can groom. I was his little girl and he always said I was the apple in his eye, the bright and definitive shining future of the Schnee family. The necklace was the last gift I ever received from him."

Ruby mulled around the words, guilt now being forced upon her from hearing such a sentimental story. It seems it was obvious how hard the story hit as Weiss pulled her partner's attention in with a slight of hand under her chin. "It's fine, Ruby. Please don't take it personally. I can't thank you enough for what you did. Now, I'm about to go down to the gym. It's been a week of slacking off and I feel like some exercise. Want to join?"

"I was sparring with Yang and Blake while you were away so I'll take a pass this time. Next time, alright?" Ruby replied, leaving Weiss slightly disappointed, but understood the fatigue of going up against Yang and Blake. She departed after a few more placement of materials for tomorrow's classes, leaving Ruby with her thoughts.

The young leader sat on Weiss' bed, hands keeping her head from falling as she sat crestfallen. " _I know Weiss said not to do anything, but I feel so responsible. If my stupid attention span didn't immediately falter the second a cookie got involved, Weiss would still have her necklace. I can't... nope. I can't sit here. I have to do something. even if it's a candy necklace gag gift. Seeing her face... If I'm going to be a good girlfriend, it's to pick her up when she's down._ "

Ruby waited for a few minutes to make sure Weiss didn't double back to catch her gone, only leading to a suspicious text from the heiress later. The young leader didn't want to use the internet to purchase jewelry, a subject she knew little about, only considering the only jewelry she wore is her cuffs. The crosses on her cloak weren't expensive, she guessed by the cheap looking metal and the fact her family wasn't one to afford such luxuries. There was a small shop in Vale the team passed by a few times. The store clerk seemed friendly and she hoped he was cordial enough to teach her about jewelry and, even more, wishing for a decent price.

Ruby descended the airship to Vale, crossing her fingers Blake and Yang wouldn't be around the district where she was going. The young leader rolled her eyes, realizing her classic red cloak contrasts harshly against the scenery in general, let alone a town now mostly white. Ruby kept low, moved carefully, and eventually was in the front of the store.

A small chiming rang, the alarm system signaling someone entered. The jeweler greeted her with a friendly smile and wave. He was a very old man. Ruby guessed that he probably had a granddaughter her age with his balding white hair, crows feet, and thick glasses. Like a proper business man, he asked how she was doing and what he could do for the young lady today.

"Yeah... umm I was hoping to get a silver necklace shaped like an apple for the pendant," Ruby inquired, admiring the cases filled with rich gems and precious metals.

"I don't. I'm very sorry, Miss, but we don't have something like that. I can make you one if you like," the elderly man petitioned.

The ecstatic Ruby immediately pounced on the offer. "Yes sir. Thank you. How much will that be?"

The craftsman put a hand to his chin, pulling out a pen and paper, quickly writing down figures to justify a price. "Well, depending on how long you want the chain it's going to be three hundred to three thirty Lien." As the jeweler went on, and the price went up, Ruby's high spirits was correlatively sinking. Sterling silver anything seemed out of reach for her let alone accenting it with gems, only escalating the price. Ruby's mood was already sunk to the floor by the time the old man was finishing his business talk. "...and we could come to a total of one thousand two hundred Lien if you wanted it special gift wrapped."

Ruby could barely respond, her only good idea now shot down, the candy necklace looking like a brilliant idea. "Yeah. Thanks. I'll come back later. Just shopping around. I'll be back if I can't find a better option."

As she was shuffling herself towards the door, the jeweler asked an unexpected question. "Who's it for?"

Ruby turned her head, addressing the man with a twinkle in his eyes, self assured by her response. "What?"

"Who's it for? I've been in this business a long time youngin'. Most people don't buy jewelry for themselves," the soft gravely voice soothing the sadness. "It's a gift usually. You could say I'm a jeweler and a professional gift wrapper. So, who was the special someone?"

Ruby was hesitant to answer, but if talking to him would keep her from walking back to Beacon in defeat, it was worth it to listen. "She's-she's a friend or actually, not really a friend anymore. After last night, I'm pretty sure that we're more than that and she means a lot to me now more than ever. She lost a necklace yesterday after she was mugged and I feel responsible. It was something very close to her and I want to give it back in some way."

Ruby had no idea why she was confessing a little truth to this stranger, but it was cathartic to a degree. "Well, this advice is free. You're going about this the wrong way." Ruby now was gripped on the professional's words of wisdom. "You're trying to replace a memory. You're not going to accomplish that with a replica. That memory is now just what it is, intangible, but still retaining its piece in her heart. She will remember it the way it is. What you need to do is create a new one. Find a design close to her. I'll create that and knock a hundred Lien off the final price."

Ruby's spirits were rising, but enough to create something so original and have it be cheap. "That's very nice of you, but I'm sort of a broke student at Beacon. Not exactly rolling in the Lien with all the studying and training," the girl having a small smile to give her gratitude from the store clerk trying his best to aid Ruby. The young leader left, hoping by some chance she would return one day with the Lien to get Weiss a proper gift.

Ruby wrapped herself in her cloak, the afternoon high not peaking past chilly. The young leader wished she had pockets in the dreaded battle skirt, forgetting mittens in this weather was a mistake. With her mood still low, the short-haired girl was dragging her feet against the snow covered sidewalk. Instead of leaving footprints, two long fragmented lines were trailing behind her. " _Well, looks like it's a trip to the candy store before I head back. I had no idea some nice metals and flashy gems could be so expensive. Then again, it's not like I use metal in a decorative sense. Weiss wins this time. I might as well let it go and not beat myself about it. It's not like I can whoa..._ "

A few stumbling steps forward and the young leader fell on her face into the cold powder. She couldn't think of how fitting it was to be kicked while she was already down with now looking completely foolish to the citizens passing by, some sneaking some snickers at the young leader's misfortune. Ruby didn't blame them, she probably would be doing the same thing. She picked herself up, feeling the crisp snow cling to her face, hair and clothing, quickly trying to brush it off before it melted. With her hands in full contact with the frigid frost, her missing mittens were now in dire need. She searched for a warm-looking store and, ironically, across the street was the dreaded coffee shop that had her in this predicament. Even though it may have gotten her in this mess, the cookie coffee was still available and she was still curious to how it tasted. She reasoned a hot beverage that she could wrap her hands around to keep her from getting sick would actually be the smart decision.

She hopped across the street and got in line, the welcome mat soaked with the melted snow sinking into the squishy fabric, some dribbles a few feet from the eager customers wanting a roasted cup of liquid fuel. Ruby was still checking herself to occupy her time in line, a few packets of snow nestled between the cloths curves. The snow reminded her of Weiss, and that's when she was able to think of her design, the snowflake emblem that is on the back of her jacket. " _Now I'm getting myself excited again. Such a good idea that's going to go to waste. Let's just keep the excitement for the coffee._ "

A few less people in line came a ringing from the bell at the entrance. Ruby's short attention turned to the patron and it was a very winded Pyrrha, garbed in brown leather knee high boots, the bottom slightly coated with snow, in dark blue jeans hugging her curves, and in a deep blue tee under a brown cardigan. The young leader madly waved her arms, grabbing Pyrrha's focus instantly and the scared expression she was wearing quickly melted into the warm friendly smile Ruby knows.

The tall red head approached the team leader. "Hey, Ruby. What brings you out here?"

"You know, some shopping around. Why are you so out of breath?"

"Jaune and I were out. Not a date, just wanting to enjoy the town quietly before class starts tomorrow. Out of nowhere, the paparazzi ambush us. We're both used to it, but we were both equally annoyed by it, such a beautiful stroll ruined and so we broke up and had the people give chase. This coffee shop is our rendezvous because of the dim lighting, inconspicuousness, and frankly they make a mean brew. Seems like I'm still a bit better at shaking off the enemy, though. Jaune will get here... eventually." Brief laughter shared between the two. Ruby admired Pyrrha for so many reasons. Her beauty, her battle prowess, her humble nature, but what she was always jealous of is what she saw in Jaune during initiation. She purposely sought him out seeing such a potential in the scraggly boy. In confidence, the warrior did admit that he was kind of cute to boot. It was so much to bank on that seemed to be returning in her favor. In almost half a year, Jaune had pulled a one-eighty and was turning into a better huntsman, slowly, but far better than at the beginning.

"I'm sure he's improving. He'll probably be here before you know it. Sorry your time was spoiled, though. I know you and Jaune don't get to get outside Beacon much with those vultures lurking about," Ruby confided.

"Yeah. It's like a permanent side effect of being famous. First you get the Lien, then you get the power, and then you get..." a deep sigh came from the fond feelings that stream from the constant adoration for her boyfriend. "the cute blonde boy that just so happened to be in your class."

Ruby snickered, finding the very professional exterior fold for a moment as Pyrrha's love overtook her. She wasn't money hungry, but she zeroed in on how much a celebrity like her friend could make. If there were two people in the school who had extra Lien on them it would be Pyrrha and Weiss. Of course, she couldn't ask Weiss for money to buy her own gift, but Ruby and Team JNPR were on excellent terms, hopefully good enough to lend out a helping hand.

Ruby was nervous to ask, but the worst she would get was a very polite no. "Pyrrha, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Ruby. What's up?"

"Pyrrha, look I know I probably might be crossing a line, but could you possibly loan me some money?"

"Yeah, how much? A couple Lien for a croissant?" Pyrrha already reaching for her wallet.

"No..." Ruby was cut off before she could finish by the employee. Ruby and Pyrrha paid together and brought the three drinks, an extra for Jaune, to a secluded table where Ruby offered her proposal. "It's going to sound outrageous, but I was thinking more along the lines of..." Ruby now getting closer so only the redhead could hear. "...seven hundred Lien."

As Ruby returned to her pose, the usual glorious green eyes did shrink with the amount the leader was asking for. Flabbergasted, Pyrrha responded, "I-I, Ruby. That's a rather large amount. I'm not one to be handing out money without a charity or a cause."

Ruby was expecting that answer, but found a loophole to Pyrrha's morals. "Then how about payment for a service. I'll do something for you. Anything aside from cheating in school."

Pyrrha was unsure, but found the perfect answer with her lack of boyfriend. "I got it. Jaune has been getting very lax with his training, mostly when he's been sparring with me. We have been getting more intimate and he's thoroughly disappointed when I'm too tired after, leaving no time for some personal alone time. You take my place for a month and I think we have a deal."

Ruby almost exploded with happiness and the caffeine rush she was getting from the cookie coffee. "Yes. Thank you, Pyrrha. You're the best," the young leader leaping over the table to hug the slender woman. As Pyrrha was finishing the check, the blonde boy wonder came through the door, clutching his chest from a lack of air. Jaune noticed Ruby, who saw her queue to leave and gave the couple the alone time they worked breathlessly hard for.

Ruby could barely stand still in the line at the bank. Each second felt like an eternity, the furor bursting out of her as she got the stack of money. Ruby had to admit that had never seen so much at once, taking a mental picture of it before handing it off the jeweler, who couldn't have been more dumbfounded at the young leader's return with so much money.

The first question was justifiable. "You didn't steal this, did you?"

Ruby laughed, still feeling gitty from accomplishing her goal. "No. I got a loan from a good friend."

"As a businessman, there is no such thing as bad money, but you got a good look about you. I accept and hope you have a design in mind," the elder inquired. Ruby asked for a pencil and paper. She was no artist, but was glad she only had to remember one-eighth of her symbol to get the rest correct. As the jeweler over looked the design, he said there would have to be some liberties to make it work that Ruby was alright with. Diamonds were to be placed on the tips on the solid ends of the snowflake leading towards the middle, as recommended by the expert for a minimalistic approach.

* * *

A couple weeks passed since she left the store. Ruby was in class on her scroll when she received an email from the jeweler saying it's finished. She almost stood up and embarrassed herself with a triumphant 'yes', but was able to bottle it up until the end of class with a stream of jubilation as she raced to the airfield. Ruby was relieved Pyrrha was kind enough to wait until she had gotten the necklace because she overheard the couple talking of plans to spar after.

All she wanted was to cheer Weiss up. Since the day they kissed, Weiss had been more receptive to Ruby's feint flirting. Unfortunately, she was no Yang, who seemingly is able to make Blake's panties drop with a couple smooth lines and a loving touch. The young leader felt like it was the first time she picked up a weapon from her Uncle Qrow. Her movements were clumsy, she was inept in style, and, honestly, just needed to practice. Sadly, she was trying to woo Weiss. A simple blunder would get her a scolding or a flick on the nose. " _I may have messed up, but this is certain to win her over. Sure, I fumbled kissing her good morning by poking her in the eye with my nose and tripping trying to give her an early breakfast in bed, ruining her bedspread. And also me trying to kiss her after having a couple cups of coffee and... Man, I'm bad at this. How was I supposed to know that coffee gives you bad breath? I guess it's more noticeable when your swapping spit with someone. Ugg... I wish I could date Crescent Rose. It would probably be easier._ "

Ruby arrived at the jewelry store, the elderly clerk as happy as she was with how his creation turned out. Only a few centimeters larger than the apple was Weiss' snowflake necklace, the diamonds flawlessly complementing the silver base with the web-like structure, flowing outwards from the vectors to the tips. Ruby has seen natural beauty, but the craftsmanship of a skilled expert trumped whatever these silver and diamonds used to be. With her purchase satisfied, the jeweler placed it in a black case and didn't wrap it. The energetic girl had already texted Weiss to meet her by the fountain in an hour. She placed the black box in her gray satchel and made a mad dash for the airship.

Ruby was grateful that the airship was earlier on its schedule and she was in front of the fountain with time to spare. The felt her stomach get butterflies, making her question the yearning of love when it makes you feel as horrible as it does. " _Deep breaths, Ruby. Weiss is going to like it. I know she will. Oh, wait a minute._ " Ruby remembered and pulled out a stack of mint strips and placed them on her tongue, tears forming at the extreme concentration of minty freshness. " _I hate mint. It's the worst flavor, but if this does swoon Weiss then I ought to be ready._ "

The young leader sat on the ring of the fountain, playfully kicking her feet in the air when the heiress came along. "If this is something we could have done in the comfort of our dorm, I will be a little irritated."

Ruby scrambled to her feet, stumbling in the process from the nervousness. "N-no. I'm not a fan of doing this kind of couple thing with Yang around to see."

Weiss' frown dismantled as she heard 'couple', now intrigued as to what Ruby had been planning. "At least we can both agree to a certain amount of privacy when it comes to these things."

Ruby happily nodded, hand braced against the silver pouch, anticipating her reveal. "So Weiss... I know you said not to worry about the necklace. I couldn't do that. I felt so guilty and I knew I could fix it. I just needed an idea." The young leader brought out the black box, Weiss' eyebrow fully raised and eyes showing slight fear at what could be inside. Ruby brought it up for the heiress to see and, as she opened it, Weiss let out a gasp that she had to cover with a hand, eyes shaking from the fluid building up in the icy orbs.

"It's... it's my emblem?" Weiss could barely get out, Ruby's eyes offering the heiress to take it from her hands. Weiss timidly reached for the box, bringing the necklace closer to her face. With the case in her palm, the snow-haired girl daintily used her index finger to circle around the pendent. The anxious expression fading, replaced with a soft smile, Ruby couldn't have been grinning harder if she tried as her gift seemed to be memorizing her girlfriend.

" _Finally, I did something right. Yes!_ " she screamed internally in her mind. Ruby's bliss was cut short as Weiss' smile faded and snapped the box shut. Ruby's mind imploded, her fantasy being snatched away her as the undesirable look on Weiss' face formed. She had no idea what had went wrong and before she could ask Weiss, the heiress spoke up.

"Ruby... this is the most thoughtful, loving, and beautiful gift I've ever received, but... I can't... I can't accept it," Weiss declared as her voice was shaking. The young leader stood devastated as Weiss continued to speak. "I haven't earned the right for this kind of generosity. Not with what I've been withholding from you." Tears forming in her eyes. "I'm scared, Ruby. It terrifies me to do this with you. So many people have professed love to me and betrayed me in the end. It's why I didn't respond when I saw your rose in my suitcase. I've been trying to push myself to be more forward with my feelings, try to act like a couple, but I'm afraid I'll mess it up and this time I'm the one to blame."

Ruby was quick to react as Weiss let a tear fall, wiping it away with her sleeve and cupping the heiress' face. The young leader had never before seen her partner so vulnerable, always carrying herself with such unreal confidence that she never thought she could falter. Here she was though, trembling, crying, and honestly speaking her fears with Ruby. She reasoned if Weiss were to be so clear about her anxieties, it was fair to show that she was on the same page.

"Weiss, it's alright. We're allowed to make mistakes. We're not perfect." Ruby thumb brushed off another tear as it trailed down Weiss' scar. "I'm scared too. I keep goofing, trying to do the most basic of actions that should come natural, but it seems my social lameness stretches in to my romantics as well." Ruby pulled Weiss in, embracing the scared girl, stroking her back to sooth. "I'm in no hurry, Weiss. I'm figuring this out for the first time too. I'll go as slow as you need."

The stiff heiress relaxed, the whimpering subsiding as she wrapped her arms around the leader, tightening the grip. As the girls released, Weiss still held onto Ruby's hands as she gazed deep in her eyes, the blue orbs so majestically calm. The heiress brought Ruby in for a quick peck, rewarding the leader with a job well done. Weiss turned her attention to the gift, picking it up and taking out the necklace, the impressive accessory glimmering in the evening sun. Weiss unhooked the clasp and whipped her arms around Ruby's neck, securing the fastener and pulling back the short locks.

With arms still linked, the heiress was keeping Ruby in her orbit, eyes conveying devotion to her girlfriend. "Weiss, I bought this for you. It feels wrong wearing it."

"It feels more wrong knowing how much money you spent and having it sit in a box. Besides, it actually looks really good on you," Weiss said as she was resting her head against Ruby's, the warmth of her girlfriend transferring through her. With a soft whisper, the heiress professed, "You're actually not as bad a girlfriend as you think. You're certainly improving."

In similar tone, Ruby's wit sparked up, "You're more loving than you say you are. This is new."

"It's cause your breath doesn't smell like a sugary dumpster," Weiss hotly commented. Ruby didn't have time to protest as the heiress moved in and placed her lips on hers, Ruby's heart jolting at the sudden passionate act. Still unfamiliar with romance, the leader awkwardly placed her hand on Weiss' face, the other lovingly found itself on the nape of the heiress' neck. The short-haired girl unconsciously let out a pleasurable moan as she let herself get lost in the session, the satisfying sensations of Weiss' more skillful influence take her. Ruby didn't know how long they were lip locked, but it was far too short, leaving the younger girl wanting more as Weiss pulled away.

After a small moment of silence, the couple awkward about what to do or say after it ends, Weiss motioned Ruby back to the room, claiming her tea was only getting colder. Ruby liked holding the heiress' hand, but with the atmosphere so romantically positive, she decided to be more bold. The young leader wrapped her arms around one of Weiss'. As the heiress looked down to see the suspicious behavior, Ruby was already beaming a smile. The cuteness of it all was enough to have Weiss grin, still keeping her usual frown as she kept the two in a fast pace back. " _I'm starting to to get the hang of this, but I don't think it would be half as confident if I wasn't with the right partner. Weiss, you beautiful, brash angel._ "


	8. Weiss: Frozen Love Worth Thawing

Ask for 100 followers, get 100. Ask for 150 and get that as well. I now ask for something that might be a little hard to achieve, but let's see how far I can test the universe. I now ask for to take Miss Barbara or Miss Kara out for a more than moderately priced dinner. In seriousness, thank you for those who click the fav/follow button. Keep it up. Give a shout out again to Bakki, now the art is finished, sorry for the delay and it will be posted on his page soon. He is a busy man and I hope you like it. We'll get back to Bumblebee one day. Fav/follow, review and enjoy some more White Rose.

Weiss: Frozen Love Worth Thawing

Winter was clearing up in Vale, technically, but still leaving a very chilly climate across the campus. Mind, this was not a problem for Yang or even Blake as she stood around the walking heater so much one would think they were glued at the hip. With the other two gone, it left Weiss and Ruby alone in the dorm room, time that felt incredibly short as Ruby would be called out constantly by Jaune and Pyrrah to help the boy train. This wasn't the best news to hear for Weiss, but she knew Ruby had to come up with something to pay for that necklace.

Over the past month, the heiress had noticed how much Ruby loved her creation. Her girlfriend may have bought the necklace for her, but it seemed Ruby had taken a liking to it. It was a little part of Weiss she was able to take everywhere to proudly show her connection to the heiress to the rest of the world. She wasn't to keen to the idea at first, but the heiress found it hard to rain on Ruby's parade. She had never met a person so appreciative to be with her that she would carry a small signal around her neck to the devotion to her. The charm was rubbing off on the heiress in the progressing month, a small smile forming whenever Ruby would go to her dresser and automatically reach for the case, and place the jewelry on her neck.

Unfortunately, this was the only real progress that was made to their relationship. Weiss was taking the tiniest of steps to open up to her girlfriend. The heiress relieved that she had someone like Ruby, someone who cares about her enough to respect her comfortably with romance. The two walking through halls hand-in-hand was fine along with occasional peck on the cheek or lips. The only real force that would stop them is Yang. Not that she was some bully protecting Ruby, but even Weiss found it intimidating to have her older sister around. She would still force Ruby to sleep in a separate bed, the leader only complying because she knew Yang would take a picture and make it her wallpaper on her scroll.

Weiss still tried inching out of her comfort zone, knowing she had to in order to be a proper girlfriend at some point. Ruby initiated most of the acts, Weiss forcing herself to not scold the leader for the informality, but embrace her expressions of love. She didn't like to admit it, but her spontaneous acts of being cute were hard to find a problem with, especially as Weiss was slowly letting her guard down. The occasional kiss given if Ruby was being exceptional. The heiress didn't like using reinforcement techniques to get her girlfriend to act better, but if anything, it was a reinforcement for her. The more loving interactions from Ruby, the better.

Weiss was sitting at her desk, jotting down notes from her history book. Professor Oobleck, yet again rambled in class long enough to not cover the material, left her to pick up the supposed professional's slack. Regrettably, the part they were in the course wasn't too interesting to Weiss. It didn't pertain to her in any particular fashion as a Schnee and as a person, it was absolutely, soul-crushingly boring. The heiress sketched Ruby on another piece of paper, getting angry at herself that her thoughts were still invaded by the short-haired girl.

" _I swear, if love didn't have some benefits to it, I would have gone mental and be shredding this piece of paper up. I'm no artist, but this doesn't look too bad. I'd show it to Ruby if she wouldn't make a big deal out of it, but I'll just toss it in the trash before she comes in. Ruby... you have no idea how long I've been counting down the days till you would be free from Pyrrha's hook. I know I've been giving you the cold shoulder in terms of physical tenderness for you, but I think this should be a good day to break out of the shell and put my best foot forward._ "

The heiress produced a small smile as she opened the drawer to her desk, a miniature bottle of goldenrod oil sitting, waiting to be used. " _You've been coming home so sore that I know this would be a proper way to repay you with how loving you've been. I still have yet to prove myself worthy of that necklace, but I hope this is my first step to it. You give so much, Ruby. With all the kisses, hugs, compliments... Even when you screw them up, somehow you're able to turn it around. I'm glad I was able to get Yang and Blake out of the room. I let them know of an Achieve Men signing happening after class ended, the only time I will ever scour the internet searching for that dreadful music. They should be out till I'm finished._ " Weiss surveyed the room, the creeping neurosis was kicking in as she saw how plain and normal everything looked. " _Nothing about this says romance. I knew it, Weiss, you forgot something. There's no mood, no candles, no pleasant scents, not even rose petals. There's not a dimmer switch on the lights. Maybe if I get a blanket I could do something. Oh my gosh, what's Ruby going to think when I just ask her for a massage out of the blue? Maybe I can..._ "

In the panic, the dorm room opened. Weiss' eyes shrinking as her plan had sprung a leak and was now losing buoyancy. Ruby shuffled into the room, Crescent Rose folded in her arms, face tired, and hair matted from the sweat. She placed her weapon at the front of Weiss' bed, sat down, and unlaced her boots, fingers fumbling from the weariness. "Hey Weiss... how was your day?"

The heiress taken by the attention of her before Ruby's own strain. "I-I'm fine. I can see you're not faring too well, though. Jaune can't work that much up of a workout, can he?"

"No, but I'm pushing myself to make him better," she said while slipping a boot off. "Pyrrah hired me to train with him. You know training is meaningless if he's not being tested and I'd feel guilty if I put in the minimal of effort for a friend."

"Yeah. I know," Weiss observing the necklace, the evening sun hitting the diamonds in a stunning display. "You going to take a shower, as usual?"

"Yeah. I feel gross. I think I might actually call it day afterward," Ruby reluctantly spoke before heading off into the bathroom with pajamas in tow. Weiss, now left alone, rethought her strategy.

" _Well, I hate using this as an excuse for my poor planning, but I think Ruby needs more a girlfriend than a lover today. I'll still give her a massage, but the sensual oils are going to have to wait for a rainy day. Ruby's happiness comes before my wanting of intimacy. Although... no. Weiss, stick to the plan._ "

The heiress sat on her bed, knowing the leader would plop herself on it after a shower. Her heart was racing as she was reviewing the techniques of a good massage on her scroll. She's been to a spa a few times, but didn't want to undress Ruby. Weiss' face heated at the thought of a topless Ruby. The heiress shook the lewd thoughts from her head, remembering to keep it honorable for her girlfriend's well-being.

Ruby's short hair made her showering trips brief in comparison to everyone else with thick treads of hair. The young leader came out with a slew of steam, clearly refreshed with a towel around her neck, preferring to naturally dry her hair and straighten it later. As expected, Ruby sat on Weiss' spread after dropping her necklace and scroll off on the bookshelf, the leader motioning the heiress to join her on the edge with a few hard pats and a wink.

Weiss gathered up her courage, trusting Ruby wouldn't be to put down from the unexpected action as she slipped out of her jacket. She crawled to her girlfriend, balancing herself on her knees as he positioned herself behind the leader. The heiress didn't have time to hesitate before Ruby would question her. She placed her hands on Ruby's traps, the short-girl shuddering at the contact.

"W-Weiss, what's with..."

"Don't question and relax," Weiss ordered in a warming tone. "You've been coming home exhausted and I've been thinking of a way to try and alleviate you, but Yang's been getting in the way of that. You wouldn't be working so hard if it wasn't for me in the first place. I'm sure you can agree that this is the least I could do for you."

Weiss felt a twang of pain as Ruby's muscles weren't letting up, making her second guess this plan entirely if the huntress wasn't ready for this kind of contact. Eventually, the leader let loose, simultaneously unwinding Weiss, now able to concentrate on her girlfriend. Ruby may have been small, but she sure was sturdy. It was hard to think her soft skin could harbor such a strapping body. The heiress was trying not to derive too much pleasure from handling Ruby, but is was hard to suppress the smile after hearing the leader's grateful moans.

"Tell me where else your hurting?" Weiss asked.

"My arms are sore, but I'll live. Can you move farther down my back, though? Jaune was able to land a hit today," Ruby asked.

"I need you to lay on your belly then," Weiss requested, Ruby following orders and placed her head on the heiress' pillow. Before Weiss realized how it looked, she had already climbed on top of Ruby, straddling the girl. Her pale face was burning red as she was lifting the leader's pajama tank up, Ruby not minding with a tranquil face accompanied by a peaceful smile was letting the heiress do what she must. " _Keep it together, Weiss,_ " she was thinking as she was kneading the leader's back, a few tender spots still healing from Jaune's blow were delicately handled.

"Weiss," Ruby moaned out, the heiress getting redder, but still addressed the girl underneath her.

"What's up?"

"If this was all you were going to do, I'm fine with Yang or Blake in the room. We fight. We get sore and it's really nice to have someone do this. It's not embarrassing to take care your partner," Ruby explained.

"Well, it wasn't exactly just going to be this kind of massage. I was going to give you something a little more... sensual. Something I wouldn't want Blake or Yang around for." A small silence occurred after Weiss' confession. She almost retracted the statement until Ruby broke the silence.

"You know... It's alright if... if you made it more romantic." Weiss noticed the leader's face bloom red harder with each word. "We're alone... we can if you want."

The only thing that could have hinted more at what was being said was a written invitation and a detailed description of the event. Weiss' skilled hands were losing their feel as the mood was shifting. The perfectionist in her having to be shut down, Weiss knowing there was nothing in her mind in terms of experience to help her anyways. She bent down, kissing the small of Ruby's back, the girl shuttering at the touch. She trailed kisses up, kissing through the cloth on Ruby's top until she reached her shoulders. Small tentative pecks were made on the strong muscle, Weiss' hands moving up to balance herself as Ruby arched her back to meet Weiss' lips. With the leader's neck craned, Weiss took her advantage and cupped her face, deepening the kiss, a soft moan let out from her girlfriend.

The gentle flourishing of kisses was going well, Weiss letting herself give into the session, embracing all that Ruby had to offer until she felt something wet and slippery slide past her lips. The heiress knew immediately it was no mistake, heart pounding as she felt her body resisting to Ruby's affection. Weiss let Ruby's charm lure her in, the heiress' tongue begging entrance into her mouth. Ruby accepted, mouth parting as Weiss' tongue entered, the firm muscle lightly gracing the other, another type of massage Weiss hadn't thought about. The slickness of the embrace was like pleasure that Weiss had never experienced, the feeling, the vulnerability, the love all taken to a new plateau. Ruby turned herself over, the session getting more intense with the leader lacing her fingers around Weiss' neck. A girlish moan escaped her mouth, Weiss surprising herself with how receptive she was by Ruby's love making.

A loud rattling startled the girls, the session broken by the loud vibration of scroll against wood. As much as Weiss wanted to continue, the leader had less than fabulous news to share. "Yang and Blake are back from the signing. What do you want to eat?" she sheepishly asked.

Weiss, disappointed that it was over, meekly answered, "Just some pizza." Ruby quickly sent off the text and returned back to her, faces flushed and breathing tempering. Weiss unable to look away from Ruby's silver eyes, glossed with the after effects of the passionate session. Both still awkward after something new had very little to say, but it was not hard reading into what the other was thinking. Ruby reached for the necklace on the bookshelf, offering it to Weiss.

"Ruby, no. This was great, but this doesn't warrant something that special."

"It was better than great, Weiss. It was awesome. And let's not forget that this came about because you were treating me with a massage. I say you earned it," Ruby dangling the necklace in front of Weiss.

The heiress pressed the issue harder, "And I say I didn't. Ruby, there will be a day where I can wear your gift proud, but making you moan a few times isn't my primary goal of earning it... but it was sensual, right?"

"Yeah it was," Ruby eagerly responded. Leaping into Weiss' body, she planted a few more kisses on her lips before the heiress was able to protest.

"Hey... hey. Stop, you," the playfulness eliciting a small laugh. "Yang and Blake will be here any minute. We'll try again some other time."

Ruby got off Weiss, a smile from ear to ear. The leader ascended to her bed, making the scene look as innocent as possible before the other two entered. Weiss got such a rush from the kiss that she couldn't wait till it came next. "Thanks, Ruby, for being patient."

The smaller girl leaned over her hanging bed, short locks flowing downward. "It's well worth the wait, I assure you," the heiress smiled, the leader's mirth precious enough for one lass kiss, Weiss finding it awkward inverted, but still pleasant.

" _Oh how things could have been horribly different if I didn't embrace you when I did. My next step will be the one to earn the necklace. I already have the idea in mind. We eat this food at school and it's alright, but it's nothing compared to a home cooked meal. I have some connections to some of the high profile restaurants in Vale, hopefully good enough to let me borrow the kitchen. I will show Ruby what my chefs taught me when mother and father weren't around to indoctrinate me._ "

* * *

"Oh my goodness, Weiss. This is beautiful!" Ruby exclaimed, her excitement couldn't contain itself and was already bolting to the barred edge of the rooftop. Weiss rolled her eyes, but wasn't expecting anything less from her girlfriend. She had spent the last week thinking of how to impress her and if going to any of her father's meeting with clients taught her anything is that location matters. Weiss didn't like to use her connections as a Schnee, but she knew of the many dust retailers that were dotted around Vale. With a quick name drop of who she was, the Dustperado store manager allowed her the use of the rooftop to have a picnic with Ruby.

She joined the spot next to the young leader, patting herself on the back for picking such an amazing spot. The afternoon sun was gently hitting the town, soft reflections of the light making the bustling, colorful commercial district even more quaint from the higher vantage point. The store was slightly atop a hill, giving the perfect view of the narrow streets of the old town as Weiss could see the citizens making their rounds. As she followed the street towards the ocean, a glistening view of the sun hitting water topped off the visual sundae. The few sea birds that flew inland were canceling out the normal hustle and bustle of the population below.

"Ruby, please take a seat. Should be able to take this all in from some comfort," Weiss offered. Ruby nodded, taking a few steps back to a circular table with relatively cheap seats. The heiress wanted more extravagance, but resisted the urge to bus in chairs and a table from a five star restaurant as it would be too easy. From an early age, she knew she could buy a lot of things with the right amount of Lien. Friends, favors, and respect were all on the table, but she refused to buy Ruby's love. Even more stubborn that usual, she was going to keep her conviction and use as little Lien as possible to earn her girlfriend's affection. It's particularly the reason she was a bit tired as well.

Weiss woke up early and requested the use of one of the restaurants the company frequents to for meetings, utilizing some of the skill she hoped she picked up from watching the cooks when she was a little girl. Using her good judgment and some internet knowledge, she was hoping to hand make a meal. With unlimited possibilities around her, she kept the dish within her realm of expertise and made chicken ravioli with some scratch-made alfredo sauce or marinara, giving her date an option. Also, she couldn't forget dessert. It wasn't handmade, but Ruby always mentions her affinity for gooey brownies and took a few squares for herself before packing it and leaving it to keep warm in the basket.

Weiss brought out a small pot warmer, placing the ravioli on it for a quick reheating. "I knew I would use this thing more outside of missions. Father needs to stop sending such frivolous things. I'm going to be forced to give some away just so I don't overrun the room."

"Well, Weiss it's fine if you take up a little bit of mine. We are dating after all," Ruby reaching over and clasping the back on her pale hand. Weiss looked over, slightly annoyed by the enthusiasm, but still felt the warmth of love from her partner.

"It actually is still a little weird when I hear that."

"Why's that?"

Weiss looked towards the streets, unable to look Ruby in the eyes when admitting something so personal. "There was always these fleeting thoughts in my head before I dated you. Thoughts of ' _who would ever like me?_ ' or ' _could I even let my barriers down long enough for someone to get to know me?_ ' Being a rational person, I was able to quell most of those negative, irrational thoughts, but it did scare me a little. It would keep me up some nights from the unsettling idea of being alone, but let's just say you've put a breath of fresh air into my thinking."

"I guess all you needed was one person to change your mind."

"No, not just a person. I think it had to be more specific than that," Weiss turned meeting the silver eyes intently positioned on her. "I think it had to be you. You changed me a lot before we started dating. You were the one giving me chances, forcing almost every opportunity to get me to like you before and after initiation. You put in a lot more effort than any one else in the past to get my attention and that really means a lot to me."

"And that's why you aren't ready to accept this?" The leader responded, picking up the snowflake necklace delicately off her chest.

"Precisely. It's my turn to give that effort, Ruby. And I also hope to earn it today." Weiss turned around her hand in Ruby's palm, grasping it tightly, letting herself flirt freely to see her date's appreciation.

"Well, if we're talking about stuff that's weird, I've never thought that someone of your social class would ever even see me, let alone date me," Ruby confessed. Weiss' ears perking up at the comment. "I never really grew up with a lot of money. Sometimes the treat from Uncle Qrow would be fast food because money was so tight. Even with my cheery disposition, I didn't expect to find someone outside of my status. I never expected dates to be on rooftops or Lien dropped on a whim to impress me. Not that what I'm saying is that a reason I like you is because of your wealth, I mean, it's nice and all for like financial security reasons and also I'm sure..."

"I get your point, Ruby. Please continue on past the blabbering and make your statement," Weiss opting out of another famous word blunder.

A brief sigh to collect her thoughts and Ruby continued. "I know I shouldn't be worried. Mostly because it is impossible, but I worry that I won't live up to a certain expectation, even as a huntress, in terms of money. I mean this necklace almost cost me an arm and a leg. I can't imagine birthdays and anniversaries with my lackluster ability to buy something, to give you what you deserve."

Ruby's eyes breaking away, only for Weiss to guide her from the chin back to her gaze. "Ruby, I cannot stress this enough, but you can't let that get in the way of our relationship. Until the day comes where we find an even better energy resource, I will always be wealthy. You may have set the bar extremely low at the beginning, but you're improving everyday with genuine affection. Even if you're screwing something up, you somehow are able to bounce back with something true from your heart. That's something you can't find in a store. Believe me, I've looked for it."

Ruby smiled big, blushing and averting eye contact for a moment as Weiss words were having a flushing effect. "Th-thanks, Weiss. I know I'm not the one who allowed to say you can have the necklace or not, but if were up to me you'd have it now."

The heiress letting out a small smile, liking that her plan was working. "Like I said. It's full effort to earn it today. Now, if you don't mind. I think the food should be ready." The heiress popped the top and quickly spooned a portion to Ruby, the young leader folding out napkins for the both of them. The leader taking marinara sauce and Weiss took her alfredo, the realization of the condiment coincidence causing her to cringe. As soon as Weiss took a bite, she felt something was off. She knew she rushed the dish, but she didn't think that the short amount of time caused the chicken to not be cooked all the way through. After a few hard chews and a swallow, she couldn't deny her poor dish. She looked over in horror to Ruby, making the same face whenever she eats a vegetable, struggling to not make a comment.

"You can stop now, Ruby. Mine tastes just as bad as yours," Weiss ordered, folding up her napkin from her lap.

"No. It' so good, Weiss. I can't wait for seconds," the unmistakable lie straining through the sentence as she forcefully packed another morsel into her mouth.

Weiss, now fully annoyed by the deceit, had to be more direct in her approach. "I'm going to drop an obvious point so it gets across. I don't like people who lie to me, Ruby."

The leader almost choked at the subtle threat, beating her chest to get the large mouthful down. A large swig of water and a couple deep inhales, brought the real answers out of Ruby. "I wouldn't say it's bad. It certainly isn't good. Maybe the place you got it from got a new chef or some bad ingredients." A peppering of some of the nicest letdowns the heiress has ever heard.

Weiss never liked admitting failure so much that the term almost wasn't part of her vocabulary, but she couldn't find a better definition of her culinary attempt. "Actually, it was my cooking," she muttered under her breath.

The leader picked up on the sentence in the stilled air. "Oh umm... wait wait wait. I know what's missing. Maybe if I..."

"Ruby. I appreciate you trying to spin what you said into something positive because I made it, but I messed up." Weiss digging into the basket to bring out dessert. "Here, just snack on this. I'm going to use the restroom and I'll call in some restaurant that will deliver. Probably a Schnee bribing with three times the payment will have them here within a half an hour."

Before Ruby could respond, Weiss was huffing past her towards the exit to the store. She thought she was pretending to get some peace when she mentioned the toilet, but turns out nature was calling and headed to the washroom. After private matters, she washed her hands, gazing into the mirror, her eyes meeting her scowl, furrowed to the point one would think it was permanent. " _Well, there goes today's attempt to be a good girlfriend. I know Ruby's intimidated by all my money, but let's face it, all the Lien in the world crafted me. My looks are maintained by the finest beauticians and beauty care products. My weapon is made of the finest metals and, not to toot my own horn, the best dust. Beacon will no doubt get a building named after me once I graduate as the desperate calls for money start coming. Lien is so ingrained in me I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up branded on me at some point. Maybe I should just give in... I seem to be pretty useless outside of flexing my credit card._ "

Her perfectionist, automatic thoughts rolled punches into her ego one after another. None of them letting up as she was cleaning herself up, the minor awfulization of the situation only growing worse in her mind. " _Great, how am I going to put on a happy face for Ruby when I feel like this? Forget it. I'll just take her back to Beacon after we eat. I can attempt to minimize this failure._ "

As she left the restroom, she heard a faint shriek on the roof. Weiss didn't dismiss it and bolted towards the stairway. An arm from the corner of her blindsided her, knocking the ice princess off her feet, slamming her head and body to the ground. With the adrenaline coursing through her, she tried to get up, only to be assisted and resisted from moving as someone had moved her arm behind her back, the other putting her on a forcible choke hold. Weiss' free hand grasped, trying to pry this death grip off of her as she was slowly losing air.

"Stop fighting it, you little twerp. Just go to sleep," the struggled grumbling came from behind her ear. Weiss was panicking, but her training was kicking in, eyes focusing at what was in front of her. Luckily, she was in a dust shop, her specialty, but didn't want to blow the roof off by wildly trying to push her and her assailant until she hit a volatile pile. In front of her was three glass tubes of red dust, highly potent. She kicked upward on the shelving, the three vials rolling to her feet. Using one more kick, she knocked her attacker in the shins, causing him to lose his balance and crash them both to the hardened wooden floor. A tube was in reach. Weiss, popped the top and tossed the contents into the man's face. He started screaming until the particles hit his sinuses, and then a small boom.

As the smoke settled, the heiress still took her battle ready stance, but it seemed the small amount of dust was enough to daze and confuse the man, barely conscious as he was slowly writhing on the floor. Garbed in black military vests, boots, and pants she could have guessed mercenary, but the patch on his arm spoke the loudest. The recognizable red wolf with red claw streaks in the background.

"The White Fang?" she muttered, confused, but also putting the pieces together in her head. She looked around, the store actually in perfect condition aside from the scuffle's collateral damage. She rushed behind the counter to see the store clerk, breathing and unconscious. "All of a sudden they are getting sneakier with their robberies, I see." A loud thud came from the upstairs, Weiss immediately remembering what triggered her haste in the first place. She took the other two fire vials and rushed past the magazines and cases.

She burst through the rooftop entrance, quickly able to find her target fighting hand to hand with the enemy. Ruby was definitely not trained in the arts of close-quarters combat, relying on her semblance as she dashed and darted from her three opponents. Weiss didn't hesitate, and quickly utilized the last of her open bottle, forming a small glyph on her hand as she fired a concentrated shot of fire at the feet of The White Fang. The fight momentarily paused as the party saw a new challenger approaching. Weiss beckoned Ruby over to her. The sides seemed to be turning in their favor until two of the militia members grabbed both Ruby's arms and jumped off the building.

"Ruby!" Weiss shouted, bursting at full speed before the third member ran interference. A small black baton in his hand, ready to strike. The heiress didn't want to, but it seemed Dustperado was about to make an insurance claim. She grabbed a full vile of dust, readied it in her hand. She wasn't sure how long she could be patient, but waited till he made the first strike. A very quick game of chicken later, Weiss produced a large glyph under her, igniting the dust. A very powerful explosion rocking the rooftop, the cement flooring cracking under her, witnessing the aftershocks of the blast.

Weiss didn't waste time as she saw a black APC unit drive away. She couldn't be sure, but she would take a guess that Ruby was in tow. Without hesitating, she released her semblance again, manipulating her final ammo source into a bullet. It may have had a head start, but Weiss was confident in her skill. She released the shot, time seemingly slowing as it was heading for a back tire. Before it could connect, the back of the APC opened, a crate being tossed out intercepting the explosion.

Weiss' heart dropped as she looked with dread as the vehicle was getting away. Unwilling to accept this defeat, she ran and kept running in the direction of where she thought Ruby was, each step wishing her semblance was running at a lightning speed like her partner. " _No. No. No! This can't be happening. This was supposed to be a date. How did it end up with a kidnapping? I either have the worst luck or I truly am a failure. I should have been able to save Ruby. How was I so sloppy? I hate myself... I hate myself... I hate..._ "

Weiss didn't know how far she traveled, but as she looked around with glassy eyes, she knew wasn't even in the commercial district anymore. Her legs were tired, she collapsed to the sidewalk, her chest taking in much needed air. In an unfamiliar place, alone and drained, she let a few tears fall, the impact of what's happened settling in. She clenched her heart, with the adrenaline wearing off, now feeling the amount of taxing she was putting on herself. Weiss, still in a logical frame of mind, knew she could only rest momentarily. If there was one thing her calculated parents did teach her was crying and sitting around got her nowhere. Even if she had to do this with eyes pooled with water, she was going to save Ruby.

Weiss didn't know where she was, but that wouldn't matter so long as the cab company she hailed did. She clumped up next to an industrial building, looking like a vagrant with a nice sense of style. Her white figure stood out amongst the gloominess of the destitute part of town. Weiss thanked her lucky stars she could handle herself in a fight, not too worried if someone were to pull off another mugging with the way she was feeling. She lay her head on her knees and she squeezed her legs to her chest, formulating the next step while driving out the negative automatic thoughts.

" _I'm going to have to be toting Ruby's weapon around for awhile. If I am to rescue her, I might as well make her part of the escape. But going back to Beacon might actually be worse than storming wherever The White Fang may be hiding. I know I'm going to regret this, but there's no way I can do this alone. I'm going to have to recruit Blake... and Yang. She's going to absolutely trounce me into the ground, fulfilling that threat she made a few months ago. There's no one else to really turn to, though. This is my death sentence then. I go out either by foolishly going against The White Fang alone or have Yang knock my head off my shoulders. Least the latter gets Ruby out safe. Ruby says she's a bad girlfriend. Well, I think I might have her beat. If only I wasn't so closed off, unable to accept Ruby's love, would we even be in this mess? Because of me, I might have lost..._ "

"Hey, aren't you friends with that cat Faunus?"

Lost in her thoughts, Weiss hadn't even noticed the rolled up jeans and black and yellow sneakers in her peripheral vision. She averted her gaze to address the familiar voice, the Faunus with scraggly blonde hair, a clear lacking for buttoning a shirt, and a blonde monkey's tail was hovering over her. He had a smile plastered, friendly, but could tell his acquaintance was also reserved with fear of her.

"Yes, that's me. I'm not certain I got your name, but Sun, is it?" Weiss inquired.

"Yeah. I'm not here to be a nuisance or anything. You just seemed strangely out of place here. Weiss, if I recall," he mentioned back.

Weiss stuck out her hand, reaching over to give a proper greeting. "Weiss Schnee. I'm sure you've heard of it."

"Schnee is a very ill-liked name around Faunus. Watch how you greet yourself in the future. So I doubt you're here for business or pleasure. What brings you to this crummy part of town? And, I'm going to put this out there, what's with the clear markings of someone who was using dust?" Sun cheekily pointed out.

Weiss hadn't had time to look at her appearance, but white was not the best to combat dirt, grime, gun powder, dust powder, and basically anything. Her boots were scuffed from black marks, the trimming on her jacket frayed and battle skirt dirtied by the sidewalk. She didn't know if she could confide in the Faunus. With such a natural disdain for the them, and not really sure how to feel about this one in particular was pushing her towards lying. She remembered Blake, though, and how she had been so wrong to discriminate. Sun approached her with a caring attitude, not to rob her, hurt her or even bad talk the Schnee name, despite his negative feelings about it. He was a neutral party. A neutral party that helped stop a major White Fang operation before.

The cab approached them. Weiss was guarded, but she now found a partner that wouldn't immediately kill her after freeing Ruby. "Get in the cab. I'll make it worth your while."

Sun's face dropped, shocked at the sudden proposal and prompted to defending his actions. "Alright. I don't know what kind of vibe you're getting from me, but I'm not some sort of gigolo or anything. I'm flattered, but..."

Weiss reached over and gave a generous slug to the arm. "You idiot. I didn't mean it like that. I need your help. Just get in." The heiress didn't know if being her usual fiery self would have worked, but it seemed the monkey had a flair for adventure. That or he wasn't taught at a young age to not be bribed into a stranger's vehicle. Either way, Weiss was about to make him and offer he couldn't refuse. As the two were making their way to the other local dust store, she filled him in on the situation.

"I have no leads and you seemed to have a wealth of information last time. Also, judging from Blake's overall praise of your performance, you handled yourself extremely well against Roman. I'll pay you handsomely."

"You had me at trying to save Ruby. I didn't meet her long, but she seemed like good kid and anything to get back at The White Fang I'm down for. As for the money, how much are we talking about?"

"You know I'm a Schnee. You're going to be paid well, especially since you might be covering me from Yang. I just need to check my bank statements when this is all said and done."

"Getting paid for something will be rather nice. I won't have to steal for a few weeks," Sun offhandedly mentioned. The soft comment did resonate in Weiss. She forgets how impoverished some of the Faunus are. She did promise herself after getting to know Blake better to be amend her attitudes to Faunus. What she was originally was going to pay him quadrupled in her mind.

They entered From Dust Till Dawn and Weiss quickly restocked on supplies while simultaneously calling both Ruby and her weapon lockers to meet them outside the store. "So, tell me everything you know, Sun."

"Word around the street is that for the most part The White Fang have divided their operations around the city. I've seen at least three. There could be one more, but let's not get into that unless we have to," the monkey Faunus explained.

Weiss listened intently as she was gathering cyan powder, remembering she was low on it for Myrtenaster. "I was headed deep into the industrial part. Any way we can focus our search with that information?"

"There's two for sure there. If I had to take a lousy guess, there is the huge warehouse where I know I've seen APCs and stolen freight containers. We can start there."

"Excellent. If you claim it's as large as you say, then maybe it's more centralized of their operations, most likely a place to bring a hostage," Weiss casually said, the store clerk not even minding the candid conversation of militia takeovers as the two were checking out.

They exited, the lockers waiting for them outside the front. Weiss opened hers and quickly was refilling her weapon, collecting all the possible ammo she could need for taking on the White Fang head on. Sun picked up on the urgency. Watching the heiress fumble around made him curious as to what's in the other locker. He nonchalantly opened it to find Crescent Rose bundled up. He picked it up, admiring the compactness of the deadly scythe.

"Kudos to this girl. This weapon folds out to be massive, but she is able to get it into the size of a small child," Sun commented, Weiss immediately seizing the weapon out of his hands.

"Don't touch her things," she said, clearly struggling with the weight of Crescent Rose. Sun offered to lend his strength, but Weiss kept pulling away, clutching Ruby's weapon to her chest.

"Whoa, chill with the hostility there, Princess. I wasn't going to steal it. You look like you can barely carry it, though. I'll take..."

"You will take your reward when this is over. This is my responsibility. I'm carrying Ruby's stuff. Are we clear?" Weiss ordered, brows furrowed glaring at the Faunus. He was threatened, but wasn't a stranger to harsh tones, almost as if Weiss shouting made him more sympathetic to the mission.

"Crystal," he said lowly. Weiss shut the lockers and had them sent back to Beacon. She asked Sun where to go and followed him into the industrial district, the sun almost hitting the horizon as the two were more than a hundred yards from the compound. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, Weiss was straining to keep up, the added mass of Crescent Rose throwing off her footwork. After a few stumbles, Sun couldn't help, but poke into the issue. "Is she worth all this?"

Weiss furrowed her stare to the white shirt, knowing full well what he meant, finding it detestable that he would be such a brown noser. "Of course. She's my girlfriend."

"That's not exactly what I meant," Sun continuing to keep his pace as he explained. "Had plenty of girlfriends, but I don't think I would be going the lengths of discomfort you are to get any of the them back."

"I thought you were the good-hearted street rat. How is it you wouldn't rescue any of them?"

"I said I wouldn't rescue any of them the way you are. One of my girlfriends was actually put in a slave trade and was able to bust her out, but I had friends, told some family, and used all the resources I could. You, on the other hand, are almost stripping yourself of every advantage you have to make this even more successful. You hire a pretty random Faunus, avoid Ruby's sister, and refuse to use any of the Lien at your disposal. That's why I ask."

Weiss had to acknowledge when she was acting foolish, blaming the concept that she's been afraid to admit for a long while. Afraid that the simple utterance of it would be a point of no return. She couldn't deny it anymore, though. The whole reason she did avoid Yang is because she didn't want to disappoint one of the few family Ruby has left, earning the place as Ruby's girlfriend. Same reason she was not using her riches. Her parents money wasn't going to earn Ruby's love, only she could.

"Yes... yes, she's worth all this and more. It's because she's the only person to get me to admit this and mean it. I love Ruby Rose," Weiss startling herself with how easy the words slipped past her lips, the swelling in her heart from admitting what she wanted to say at the end of today if it went as planned. In her mind, all the plans did was change. She was still going to earn Ruby's love before tomorrow, instead of a lovely date it would be a dreadful battle. A small smirk spread across her face as the compound came into sight, foreseeing the destruction that was about to come upon it, thinking how Ruby would find this far more enjoyable than anything she could have arranged.

" _I swore that I would earn your love today, Ruby. Mostly because I can't hold it back for you any longer. It's been burning inside me for awhile and I'm kicking myself that it would take a kidnapping for it to be pouring out of me. I'm coming for you. Just sit tight, Ruby._ "


	9. Ruby: Rescue the Rose

Well, that more than moderately priced dinner with Miss Barbara or Kara didn't happen. Which would be a bummer if I had the possibility of meeting anyone from RT. I forgot what days Comic Con were lol, so a small tweaking of that impossible dream. Now for things that did actually happen, thank you guys for helping me reach 200+ followers. It's legitimately fucking awesome. As for the story, this is the last of White Rose we'll see for awhile, the next update of this will finally come back to Bumblebee. My artist, Bakki, will have a new picture up, hopefully before the next update, but we'll see. Again, thank you for taking the time to read this, hitting the fav/follow and leaving reviews. Keep it up and enjoy.

Ruby: Rescue the Rose

"Wait, Weiss. I know..." Ruby called out, the door to the dust store slamming as her date exited the roof. The young leader thought about chasing after her, wanting nothing but to quell Weiss' thoughts, but she knew it was better if she sat and let the heiress stew. She had already accidentally insulted her cooking and probably put her on edge with her confession of being intimidated by Weiss' wealth. She folded her hands into her face, confounded by her denseness.

" _Weiss has never been one to accept apologies, I have to sort of own up to what I said. She looked so hurt. But what am I to do? Everything that seems to come out of my mouth today makes matters worse. I can't believe I said that about her money. I was meaning to never reveal that. Seeing as she tries so hard to separate herself from that luxury, proving herself in other ways... like making her date a nice meal. She could have easily gotten a table at a five star restaurant, bought the most expensive gowns for us to wear, and have us chaperoned. She restrains herself from doing that for her pride, and now, me with my concern. She says I always figure something out. Hopefully, as I'm cleaning up this, I'll think of a way to turn it around._ "

Ruby folded the ravioli into the thick lap napkins, nibbling on the brownie as she was toiling, knowing Weiss was downstairs ordering some sort of five course meal. The least she could do was have the table ready for the meal. The leader felt apprehensive, blaming herself for having Weiss to resort to her riches when so far she was really charmed with the effort Weiss had put in. " _Must be hard with billions of Lien behind your name when you're trying to leave a mark of your own. Maybe that's why she tries so hard. She doesn't want to be that person who's remembered for just being a rich Schnee, but rather Weiss, the expert huntress; Weiss, the brilliant entrepreneur; or Weiss, Ruby's greatest girlfriend. I guess a commoner like me wouldn't have the slightest clue. Maybe I should..._ "

Ruby's thoughts were nixed as she heard multiple footsteps behind her. They rushed as they got closer, the leader bursting her semblance to have a man knocking over the heater and table, the utensils crashing to the floor. The young leader was always amazed how fast she was able to switch into her training, now crouched and analyzing the situation. There were three men, no Faunus attributes present unless they were concealed under their black vests and jackets. The spine-chilling realization that The White Fang was paying this dust store a visit as she saw the symbol accessorizing their outfits.

Ruby didn't pull punches, although the enemies reaction to her blows might have said different. Ruby was dashing back and forth, allowing them to make the first strikes, using the momentum of her speed to be a delivering force to her attacks, but she was no hand to hand combatant, regretting declining Yang all those times she offered to train. The lessons sure would be making this battle shorter as she was tirelessly hitting her opponents. The fleeting thought of how Weiss could be in trouble too popped up, encouraging the young leader to get done with this quicker, kicking herself for not being a well rounded fighter as Crescent Rose wasn't always going to be in her possession.

As she was making progress, the door to the store slammed open, giving the leader a breath of relief as she saw Weiss unharmed. With a couple of red vials in her hands and black debris coating her, she was fine. "Ruby, get over here," she beckoned, a small pleading tone in her voice. The young leader didn't hesitate, almost about to full sprint over to her girlfriend until she felt herself being pulled back. A man with an arm in each of their grasps used their full force and leaped off the building with Ruby. Behind her scream was Weiss' even louder cry, piercing through the cursing and struggle of The White Fang.

Ruby was thrown into the back of a vehicle, body hurting as her bones were connecting with the metal floors and seats. A man got on top of her, pinning her arms to her sides, the leader pulling in her legs demanding her opponent to release her with powerful kicks to the chest. A lucky shot got her from underneath him. Now, with even less room to fight, was forcing her to fight without her only advantage. With one down, the other took her head on, restraining Ruby up against the wall, his forearm digging harshly into her collarbone. With her arms too short to reach his neck, he was able to zip-tie her to a steel handle.

The back of the shuttle opened, Ruby seeing the city streets blazing past her. She watched as one of the men tossed out an ammo crate out and noticed a white glyph in the distance. She didn't know what Weiss was up to, but braced herself for an attack. The APC bounced as the explosion rocked the area, but the lack of crashing had Ruby thinking Weiss' plan failed. She tugged and started chewing on the industrial plastic, wondering how truly strong the seemingly flimsy tool is.

With one less limb, the three men descended upon her, properly subduing her with her hands behind her back and a black bag over her head. One even threatened a sock gag for her mouth if she couldn't stop swearing. Not really wanting a dirty sock taste in her mouth, she silenced herself. With destination unknown, and the intentions of The White Fang were frightening in their own right, but her heart was hurting with what happened to Weiss. She didn't know if there were more militia behind to take care of her or even if Weiss was the target and the store was a convenient front to unleash their plans. Used to placing others needs before hers, all Ruby could think about was Weiss, dreading the heiress' safety.

The ride wasn't long, Ruby predicting they were still somewhere in Vale, but with a bag over her head it was hard to tell where she was. The loud thud of the ramp signaling they were safe, the sound of metal scraping against concrete unsettling. She was picked up harshly from the arms, Ruby making it difficult on her subduers and being dead, wiggling weight all the way to some room. She was forced to sit in a chair, again cuffed her to the table to ensure her captivity. As the metal door slammed behind her, she did feel the gravity of her situation set in, her breathing shortening as the uncertainty of it all was disheartening.

" _Calm down, Ruby. You're in a snag, but you can honestly say you've been in worse situations. Just breath and figure out your surroundings._ " She queued her aura, heightening her senses. Although underneath the black bag was darkness, the room was becoming less hazy. A few tin shelves lined the room, the table barely big enough for two, and what could be a multitude of bottles. She reached back and picked up one of the containers, hoping it was dust only to disappoint herself at where she realized she must be. " _I'm in the supply closet, aren't I?_ " she depressingly let out as she pulled the trigger on the spray. " _I know The White Fang isn't legitimate and can't shop around for evil headquarters, but really, I'm handcuffed to a bolted table in the broom closet?_ "

"Sit down, child. I'm sure your attention span is greater than that of a rat," a voice came from behind her. In Ruby's curiosity, she hadn't heard the door open behind her, the hairs on her neck raising as the surprise wore off and she was able to connect the voice to a face. She instinctively went into a defensive stance, the metal shackles forcing her to the table.

"Ow... I mean. Roman," she said sinisterly, trying to save face in front of the enemy.

The black burlap was yanked off her head, pupils focus as the room was brighter than she anticipated, a florescent lamp flooding the room, Roman Torchwick standing opposite her. "I said sit. We're civilized. No need to be so hostile when clearly we're not in combat. Speaking of civilized, I do believed we've never been formally introduced. Roman," he said, a sly smile with devious green eyes accompanied an outstretched hand.

Ruby didn't want to give the man the smallest of gratitude by shaking his hand, choosing to sit and stare back. "Fine, I see you're not one for formality, Miss Rose." A chill ran through her as her name passed through his lips, Ruby shaken that the enemy might know even more about her.

The orange-haired man sat across from her, flipping through some files on a scroll. Ruby reluctant to believe anything the snake passed through his forked tongue. With him humming through his device like it was an ordinary day at the office, or evil headquarters rather, the leader took her seat, her only real option with her hand in a bind. As she sat in the uncomfortable silence, she looked around the room, almost painfully hating that she was in the supply closet, bottles of glass cleaner and soap dotting the shelves along with other miscellaneous tools like the floor scrubber. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I do believe this is my operation. I think I'm allowed to do what I please, but that's not what you were asking. You are a very high profile hostage, Miss Rose. You definitely have been a thorn in my side when it comes to dust acquisition in the past. However, as minor a nuisance you were, now you have become rather valuable." Ruby raised her eyebrow, not knowing where this sociopath was coming from nor liking the arrogance in his tone. "I can see you're confused. Maybe this will make the picture more clear.

Roman placed his scroll in front of Ruby, sliding his finger across the screen to show the multitude of pictures of her and Weiss on the rooftop of the dust store. The leader's brow furrowing as fierce as her girlfriend's as each picture felt like a small violation of their privacy. "So, like taking pictures of underage girls, I see? Pretty sure you go to jail for that."

"Still got the mouth on you when you're in such a predicament. And please, on the list of things I can go to jail for, taking unsolicited pictures would be bottom rung. These pictures though were taken because you girls coincidentally were at the very store we were going to rob. The Schnee Dust Company has certainly vamped their security, forcing us to plan our heists better. But, in the meantime, small time stores for a quick cache of ammo is always up for grabs," Roman calmly explained.

"Then why even bother capturing me? Politely knocking me out and leaving me would have made my day go better," Ruby scolded.

"Yes, probably, but I wouldn't have made any money." Roman bringing back his scroll, specifically locating a very intimate photo of Weiss caressing Ruby's hand. The leader let out a small tint as she saw something so warm caught on camera. "Miss Schnee is obviously worth triple her weight in Lien to someone, and judging from your flirting actions, you mean a lot to her. Hopefully more than what we were going to get from that store, anyways."

Ruby already figuring out their plan put her at ease. She was going to ransomed and therefore safe for the time being. Each second passing hoping Roman would leave the room, allowing her to concentrate more on escaping. "So I'm assuming you were after Weiss then?"

"But of course. I can hardly imagine how much her parents would pay back for her safety. But we ended up with you. I'm not going to complain, but it is a shame getting silver when gold was within reach. Who would've thought funding an uprising would be so costly?" Roman writing in his scroll, updating any relevant information he gathered into it. Ruby was mulling over her thoughts, wondering if Weiss has had to deal with men like this her whole life, the leader seeing a new side to Weiss disliking her namesake. "So, how much is this girl in love with you?"

The question alone caught Ruby off guard, the added level of her inexperience in romance had her tongue in quite a twist. "I-I don't know. She's ve-very difficult to read. I mean she set up the date, ma-makes me happy, but I always feel that..."

Roman raised his hand, forcing the girl to stop. "I'm not your therapist. A simple gauging of one to ten would have sufficed. You're clearly crazy about her. The reason I ask is because I need to see how much we should ask for the ransom. Let's just put it in the middle, about five million Lien."

Ruby silently objected the quote, thinking her love with Weiss is priceless, but it seemed Roman was going to have to write something on the ransom. She averted her gaze to the silver table, disheartened that she knew so little about what's going on in her partner's mind, cursing her lack of social skills that made her so meek in the first place. "Sure.. five million is fine."

Roman made his way towards the door, tipping his hat as he departed. "Sit tight and relax, Miss Rose. We are a poor militia, but we aren't savages. So long as we get paid, of course." A toothy grin came after the subtle threat, making Ruby dislike the pretentious man even more. As the door shut behind him, Ruby mashed her head into the table, collecting herself to make her great escape. The only thing holding her back was her cuffs, sliding them off with something slick was better than gnawing her hand off.

Ruby found her answer, but it was on the other side of the room, forcing her get creative with the acquisition of the hand sanitizer. Duct tape, the greatest of all tools, was within her reach. A broom, a lint brush, a squeegee, a vacuum hose, and a rag-filled rubber glove were all jerry-rigged together to make the least technologically advanced apparatus Ruby has ever made, but will be as proud as her weapon if she was able to get what she needed. The length made the rod unstable, Ruby blowing through all of the roll and it still being rickety. She inched slowly, nudging the bottle closer to the edge. To save herself some time of shortening the rod if she had to scrap it off the floor, Ruby carefully flicked the small container into her glove.

Her escape became more real as she globbed the entire tub of the clear goo onto her hand. Ruby strugged for a few minutes, wondering if Weiss had made her gain weight and unable to wiggle out of these situations. Contorting her hand into as small a stump as possible, Ruby did one last pull, freeing her from the table, slamming into the shelf behind her. With the loud clang not alerting a guard's presence, Ruby rid herself of the strong smelling liquid. She inspected her hand, wrists red with some light bruising, the leader knowing if she didn't have a strong aura she would be bleeding from the amount of effort she put into freeing herself. Ruby tried the obvious choice and tested the door, her heart sinking knowing it couldn't be that easy. She conceded to her only option left, a dark, dirty and confined air vent.

Creating a makeshift tower of a few boxes and the chair, Ruby was tall enough to reach the screws. Her mood of being in the supply closet flipped when she was able to find a screwdriver to unlatch the vent's opening. She didn't procrastinate and went in head first to the foulness of the vent. Ruby was glad she was still small, wondering if Yang or Blake would be able to pull this off. She thought she was smaller, though, the vent being just big enough for her to put one arm in front of the other as she was shimmying her way to freedom.

Ruby felt like a rat in a maze, the vent's pathways forking off constantly. She kept her head cool and remembered an old trick to figuring these things out as a kid, keep to one direction. As she was turning left, making sure in her mind she wasn't making circles, the one thing that kept bringing her out of her thoughts was the slick grime and amount of dust that lines the walls, the young leader having to pause as occasionally a large dust particle got lodged in her sinuses. The last thing she wanted was to make The White Fang members be suspicious of her escape if the vents were having a sneezing spasm.

With her brain on autopilot looking for source of light to freedom, Ruby's mind wandered around her romantics issues, considering the whole escape thing was going pretty well. " _I can't believe Roman was able to trip me up that badly. I can barely admit that I love Weiss in my own head. Seems I still have a long way to go before I can actually say it out loud to her. Maybe it's too soon to say. Last thing I want to do is scare Weiss away because I'm overly invested in us. But it's real... I know it's real. It's so real that it's becoming harder be stay so passive. That day in our room... that kiss. I wanted to continue so bad, but who am I kidding. I'd be fumbling with whatever comes next. Just cool your jets, Ruby. Weiss will come around. Hopefully sooner rather than...whoa._ "

A weak paneling gave way to the girl as her full body weight was on in. The darkness lit up as she plunged towards the ground. Too fast for her to react, her knees and forearms were the epicenters of pain, the resounding shocks through her body hitting every nerve as the tremors of agony were running their course. She brought her head up, the aching residing enough for her to move again. She wished she was back in the supply closet as five militia members stood around her, probably as dazed and confused as her.

Ruby snapped upright and dusted herself off, playing it as nonchalantly as possible. "You guys sure should look into installing new vents with all that ransom money." A nervous laugh coming out as she saw that none of the men were biting.

"Nice sell, but I think we would need to allocate those funds to a proper holding cell," one of the men shot back, pistols and assault rifles being drawn, Ruby backing up as she was seeing her window of opportunity shrink. She knew she could take these guys on, but not with her fists, eyes scanning her surroundings for anything to be used as a weapon. Judging from the long tables and vending machines, she was in the break room. The only thing she could possible help her was a plastic knife, which she ignored now favoring she burst for the exit that the men stood between.

Ruby's back hit a wall, her decision time now over. Even though Roman promised her safety, she didn't know if these guys got the memo, and with these close quarters, they'd have to be amateurs to not hit her. She raised her hands up, hopefully lessening the punishment of having her chained to a wall.

An explosion cracked through the building, startling Ruby and the militia. It seemed random blasts weren't part of the occupational routine. The alarms sounded off and a female voice was heard over the intercom. "All soldiers report to Hanger Bay B. Intruders on the first level. Targets identified as a woman and a male Faunus."

Ruby didn't hesitate and grabbed at one of the retractable batons on a soldier's leg. It may not have been Crescent Rose, but it was doing its job shutting down her opposition. Her quickness accelerating the blows had all the men on the ground as Ruby was hasting back and forth. With all the men too beaten to get up and fight back, the young leader took her leave. "Whatever decided to show up couldn't have better timing. Now to get out of here. If I was an exit, I would be this way."

Ruby now ecstatic as she was now about to escape, planning her next steps in figuring out if Weiss is alright. She sprinted through the corridors only ending up in where every solider in the building seemed to be, Hanger Bay B. She kept as low as possible, using the shadows and distraction to her advantage as she was ducking behind crates and vehicles.

The bay door was wide open, a quick release from her semblance and she would be home free. She peaked around the corners, making sure someone wasn't about to blast her off her feet and blitzed out. A white figure stepped in her pathway, Ruby stopping in her tracks as she saw the intrusion. White ponytail flowing in the wind, combat skirt blackened and frayed from dust, steely blue eyes meeting hers, and the scowl she's grown to love dismantled her at her presence. "Weiss, you came for me?" Ruby astonished by her rescuer's sudden entrance.

"Of course I would, you dolt." Weiss rushing over giving Ruby a quick, but firm hug. Ruby had her hands filled as the familiar weight of her weapon was placed. "No time to explain. That idiot Faunus rushed in wanting me to find you. Mission accomplished, but now we got to go save him from the nest he enraged."

Ruby didn't have a clue what Faunus Weiss was referring to, but feeling so helpless for the past few hours changed as soon as Crescent Rose unfolded into its scythe. The sight of the one-Faunus battle was something to be appreciate, Sun's nunchaku chain-linked shotguns firing at a rapid pace, making the minions second guess their actions, precious seconds that cost them their small openings to land a hit on him. Ruby wanted to jump in the fray as it seemed Sun was having so much fun, but she zeroed in on a higher priority target.

Roman was standing atop a service building, watching the carnage, eyes calculating when to strike. Ruby was determined to interrupt that thought and charged, the man in the bowler hat taking notice. A few cannon shots were fired from his cane, the young leader dodging them with ease. With a large leap she poised her weapon to strike, forcing Roman to move, the depth of the blow almost cutting clear the roof of the building.

"So, this is how you repay me after some kind hospitality? Little Red, you have no gratitude," he quipped, Roman now thoroughly sore as the fire in his eyes was present. He came in for the attack, Ruby having to catch up with his speed as he was furiously hitting back, the grace of his usual stance becoming undone with frustration. Ruby concentrated and was matching his form in seconds, now looking for her own opening for a counter.

Ruby slammed Crescent Rose into the ground, whipping herself around to swiftly kick Roman onto the ground floor. She had her high ground, transforming Crescent Rose into her sniper, ready to take aim and fire. The man was quicker to the draw, though, firing two shots from his cane to the supports of the building, Ruby tripping as she was jumping to safety. Roman quickly struck her as she was recovering, the back of her leg throbbing, the leader now limping from the pain. With her speed reduced, Ruby felt the pressure from Roman, her lack of maneuverability making the fight more one-sided as she kept backing up from Roman who was closing the gap.

"You should have told me your heiress was in love with you enough to actually pull a stunt like this," Roman said through clenched teeth. Ruby was slightly charmed at the realization, but too focused on what was happening to realize how far Weiss was willing to go for her. She swung Crescent Rose at Roman, him dodging, but she wanted him to do that. She fired her sniper, landing against the wall behind her, poising herself for the next strike. Using the momentum from Crescent Rose's recoil, she propelled herself as the bullet, Roman blocking, but the force behind Ruby's momentum knocked him off his feet. Ruby having the upper hand swung wildly, hoping to pin the weasel. All she was able was get in a few slashes, his white trench coat shredded by the time he was able to get back up to his feet.

Roman went from irritated to furious, Ruby guessing he doesn't like having his cage rattled or his pompous outfit ruined. He fired two shots at Ruby's feet, the girl blocking being her greatest mistake. As the smoke cleared, Roman was within arms reach, he flipped his cane and hooked Ruby by the neck, yanking her towards his folded hand. The pinpoint accuracy of his throat strike hit the young leader in the larynx, making her cry in pain, a reflexive deflated squeak escaping her throat. With the damaged tissue convulsing in agony, Ruby was finding her lungs heaving desperately wanting oxygen that wasn't able to inhale. Her knees got weak, the girl lowering herself to the concrete, body unable to carry her or her weapon. She dropped Crescent Rose, her hands desperately grabbing at her throat as she strugged to breath.

Ruby felt a hot tip aimed at her face, her will being forcefully raised to meet her opponent who bested her. Roman stood, a smug demeanor across his mug a small distance away. "Considering the attention brought by your girlfriend will bring the police over and nix this base, I might as well take something from her. A girl for a warehouse sounds like equivalent exchange to me."

Ruby had stared down a pack of Beowolves, fought a hundred White Fang members, and even endured one of Weiss' tongue lashings when Ruby accidentally left a red stocking in the wash, coloring all of her partner's whites pink. She has danced with death and won a lot of the time, but, as she looked down the barrel of Roman's cane, she saw death stare back and it drained her. She felt dead before Roman pulled the trigger, time slowing down as she heard the cocking of the hammer. Ruby wanted to call out for help, for anyone, for Sun, for Weiss. Ruby closed her eyes, anticipating her demise.

Under her legs, she felt the ground cool, a brightness piercing through her lids as she heard the blast muffled through ice. "This is why I call you childish."

Ruby's eyes burst open, that condescending high pitch of her being scolded could only come from one person. As her eyes focused, Weiss' white skirt was in front of her, from her perspective the red lining under her skirt, the snowflake symbol on her jacket blackened from combat, and her ponytail ticking the end of Ruby's nose. "Weiss..." was almost silent as she breathed it out.

"I turn my back for five seconds and you already ran off without me. You're not allowed to leave my side Ruby... not ever," Weiss declared. She jumped over her ice wall, Myrtenaster glowing yellow, the heiress not holding back as Roman was parrying. Channeling another glyph, she changed her setting to blue, launching Roman into the air, Weiss giving chase hoping the new gravity setting would give her the opening she wanted.

Roman was struck alongside the back, the pain realigning him and swatting back at the heiress as he could. Ruby sat in awe of the fight. As much as she hated Roman, he was adaptable, herself not knowing if she could be on the same level with him at times. Then there was Weiss, her white knight in a battle skirt. She knew the heiress had to protect her, being partners for almost a half a year taught her that. But it was what Weiss said that made her see her girlfriend in a different light, understanding now what she meant when she said she wanted to earn the necklace. How important it was for Weiss to comes to terms with how strongly she felt towards Ruby, not just how strongly the younger girl felt towards her. She was never allowed to leave her side, not that Ruby ever wanted to stray.

In her daze of adoration, she hadn't realize Roman's cane pointed at her again. Weiss deflecting the cane away from her girlfriend, but onto something just as precious. A gas main was hit, blowing out the side of the building with a heat infusing detonation. The aftershocks of the battered building now concerning Ruby as the structure was rocking back and forth. Ruby looked back to Roman, backhanding Weiss and making his escape with a helicopter waiting above him. He climbed the rope ladder and was off into the night.

Weiss rushed to Ruby's side after the villain was able to get away, escaping now superseding their priority. The heiress lifted her to her feet, eyes full of concern and fear. "No time for you lollygagging about. We need to get out of here, now!"

Ruby, still finding it hard to speak, nodded quickly, the monkey Faunus coming up from the rear. "You two, follow me and we're going to avoid a lot less handle once we're safe." Weiss followed Sun with Ruby in tow, the leader finding it peculiar that her girlfriend of all people was trusting of this Faunus. However, with the building collapsing around them and sirens in the distance, the fact that the heiress was more trusting of the race was comforting.

Ruby pushed herself to keep up, her throat still recovering from Roman's hit. They weaved throughout the industrial buildings, Sun showcasing his parkouring abilities as he reached rooftops with ease, the leader almost thinking this is some sort of thrill he gets running away from the law. At the edge of the industrial district, they stopped. The team looked towards the distance, read and blue lights dancing around the warehouse. "Woohoo! That was something!"

Weiss took offense immediately, getting in Sun's face as much as she could, the sledder finger that Ruby was so used pointed at her now directed at the Faunus. "You! If we didn't get Ruby out, I would strangle you where you stand. I told you a simple extraction was all that was needed."

"Yeah, but the way I see it, it was going to end up that way. Might as well cut out that whole chunk of time and get your girlfriend back quicker," Sun defended, Ruby noticing Weiss' tint on her cheeks, the heiress stalling from the circumstantial logic.

"You may... you may have a point, but that doesn't give you the right to go against the wishes of your employer," Weiss snapped back, the leader picking up on the few words that felt out of place. Weiss paid Sun to help her. Ruby felt that whatever the heiress was paying was far too much, even if she was her girlfriend.

"But I also helped shut down a White Fang base, meaning The Schnee Dust Company will be less likely to be under attack. If anything, I deserve an employee, or rather, a mercenary of the month award," Sun chided back, his teasing in good nature as he was riding high from the victory. Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose, accepting the Faunus' argument, herself finding it hard to be excited when it was Ruby's life at stake.

"Fine. You win. Ruby and I are going home. Come by Beacon tomorrow at two. You meet me at the fountain and do not make me wait. I do have the authority to deduct anything from your pay," Weiss ordered, Sun unphased by the threat.

"Yes ma'am," he bowed, mocking the high society as he descended from the building, the long golden tail whipping in the night. Weiss placed her arm around Ruby, the two shuffling casually back to Beacon. With the adrenaline of a good fight wearing off, Ruby was starting to feel the strain she endured. She noticed Weiss with her own battle damage, a few minor cuts and bruises that her aura would fix overnight, but could tell they were throbbing now. Even if it wasn't much, Ruby placed her arm around the heiress' small waist.

Ruby knew this wasn't the most romantic of setting, but she found herself slightly enraptured with the moment. Both of them propping each other up, a shoulder to lean on, and both of them looking as if they just came out of a war zone had its own appeal to the leader. However, with the silence that came with the occasion, also brought Ruby to address her neurosis.

"So... you're paying Sun for me?"

"Of course. I have the Lien and you get paid for services. Judging from how today went, if I do it by myself it ends in disaster. Money is all I am." The last sentence Weiss said under her breath, the self- loathing tone Ruby picked up on. A new pain now ailing her as she was feeling guilt in her heart. She looked up towards the heiress, the lack of spirit in the icy orbs making Ruby feel worse. She remembered back to what Weiss said, that she will always be wealthy. That realization spurring Ruby to be more assertive.

"You're wrong. I'm not saying that money doesn't define you, but it is a part of you because you're a Schnee. Never think it's entirely you, though. Money didn't save me from Roman, money didn't come back for me at initiation, and money sure doesn't stand by me as my best teammate. Regardless of how you feel about it, it shaped you into who you are now, and I really like who you are, Weiss."

Weiss stopped, turning to face Ruby, confused about what the young leader was saying. "But you said that you're intimidated by all of this."

"I am, but I'm also intimidated by Grimm. I still am a huntress and I still want to be with you. Even when it gets uncomfortable at times, I'll manage. You have really good judgment, Weiss. However you act as a girlfriend, I'll trust because I..." Ruby's speech being cut short as the passionate confession tweaked her throat muscle. A small whimper slipping out as Ruby faltered. Weiss propped her up, preventing Ruby from collapsing to the ground.

"Ruby! You need to take it easy. I can tell by the way you've been carrying yourself that he hit you fairly hard. You need me to take you to the hospital, perhaps a quick stop to a drug store to get some anti-inflammatories?" Weiss offered. Ruby wanted to finish her sentiments, the young leader wanting to express herself, buttoning her affection with the hopes of relieving the heiress of her burden. In that moment, as the heiress was affectionately attending to her, Ruby found that she ought to leave it be, her mouth usually the culprit in ruining moments.

She shook her head, promising her girlfriend to rest her voice. Ruby's gaze averted to the bare area of Weiss' collar, the leader almost forgetting to reward her hero. She quickly unclasped her snowflake necklace, draping it over Weiss. A chaste kiss placed on the cheek as she backed away, the heiress in disbelief in what occurred with her jaw half slacked. Before Weiss could protest, Ruby placed her finger over her mouth, a playful wink following was enough to quell the ice princess. Weiss deeply smiled and reached out, pulling Ruby in for an unyielding hug.

After the transfer of unspoken feelings was over, the two still had plenty to cover before they reached Beacon, Ruby hating the fact Vale shuts down after two. There was a silver lining that she was taking full advantage of. In the pale moonlight, she curled up with Weiss, the two occasionally squeezing the other as their attempts at flirting. Weiss gave a kiss through her short locks, Ruby hoping the light wasn't illuminating the free blush rushing to her face.

A sharp pain formed on the back of her neck. Ruby, remembering not to make a sound, silently mouthed her frustration. "Your hair smells like vanilla. You have your own shampoo, Ruby. Why do I notice you use mine more so?"

Weiss did like honesty, but Ruby was super embarrassed admitting this truth. As soft as she could speak, she confided, "I like wearing something that reminds me of you."

Ruby didn't need to look up, knowing her words were having an effect as Weiss' body was heating up. "It makes me feel stupid when you come up with such thoughtful ideas. Maybe I should find something to wear too." Weiss delicately held the necklace in her fingers, Ruby not directly staring as the heiress was fondly appreciating her prize. The leader's young heart filled with warmth, the satisfaction of making Weiss happy the perfect end to her day. "I can't accept this, Ruby."

The short-haired girl was about to scream. After all they had been through, Weiss not only deserved a necklace, but also earrings and a dress to compliment them. "Before you scream at me and we're forced to take you to the hospital, there's a small scuff mark on it." Ruby breathing a sigh of relief, although was feeling responsible for the tarnished jewelry. "If it's alright with you, I'll give it to Sun tomorrow and have him do one last errand for me as he goes to the bank."

Ruby had no problem with the proposition, only wishing she could pay for the repair, but wasn't exactly in the best of circumstances to argue. She didn't let it get to her though, not with Weiss and her enjoying a night out. It may have been the most unconventional date that could possibly be conceived, but this was the first time the heiress had been this loving since they got together. She didn't think her happiness could be deflated until they got back to the dorm, Yang freaking out at the condition of the both of them. Weiss' quick thinking masked what really happened. Ruby didn't know if the excuse of a lover's quarrel was easy enough to fool Yang, the leader questioning if that's how the rest of the school saw their relationship, but would overlook other's perceptions so long as Weiss was able to evade the wrath of her big sister.

* * *

Ruby's recovery went swimmingly. Still finding it hard to swallow though was keeping her from using her vocal chords as much as possible. She didn't think life as a semi-mute was hard, but communicating with a scroll at times was difficult. Having the cafeteria chefs wait for her to spell out the group meal took a rather long time, frustrating for whoever was behind her waiting. This morning, Yang was taking out Blake to someplace special, assuming there was some fishy brunch that could cater to the Faunus' unique palate. With just Weiss in the room, Ruby was able to speed through the line.

As Ruby entered the dorm, Weiss was standing next to her bed, fiddling with what she thought was the necklace she gave her. As she stepped closer, she noticed red design in the middle instead of her snowflake, a little red rose. "Weiss, is that my..."

"Emblem," she finished her sentence. "It is. I was thinking back to what you said and decided why not wear a little reminder of you around my neck. So once I had my idea, I gave Sun another check to take to my jeweler. He was happy to do it once he saw what I was paying him. He delivered it while you were gone. That crazy fool actually leaped up to the window."

Anyone else would have been dejected from a gift replacement, but all Ruby saw was Weiss wanting to showcase to the world to whom her heart belongs. She placed the tray on her desk and walked towards her girlfriend, her mind splitting on trying to resist not tackling Weiss to the bed with the amount of euphoria coursing through her. With her mind snapping, all her face could to was make a grin so big that it had her partner perturbed.

"Ruby... what's with that face?" the heiress' eyebrow raising, bewildered at the overzealous expression on her partner. "If you're going to make a big deal out of this, I'm going to take it off."

Ruby was calling her bluff. Weiss wouldn't have went through with the idea if she wasn't feeling the same way. Taking a leap of faith, she pressed her lips onto Weiss', the blue eyes popping at the sudden smooch. The heiress pulled away, attesting to the affection. "What's with..." Ruby interrupted the coming rant with another kiss. Weiss wouldn't be silenced. "Stop it..." the leader cutting off her girlfriend again. The heiress tore herself away from the passionate act again. "Ruby, I'm warn..." a soft moan escaping Weiss as Ruby pressed into her again.

Ruby closed the gap, hands cupping Weiss' face as the heiress still had residual resistance in her. She didn't know if her actions were making her girlfriend weak in the knees or if she was still trying to wiggle out from Ruby's advancement, but Weiss was forced to the bed, elbows propping her up as she climbed on top of her. As Ruby was getting lost in session, she was forcefully pushed away from her lover's lips. The leader was alarmed, not knowing if her antics were crossing a line. Weiss' chest was heaving, collar slick with sweat, and blue eyes propping up a fierce scowl.

Ruby thought she was in trouble until her girlfriend spoke. "This is the only time you're going to get away with this. You got that?"

Ruby smirked at her girlfriend's condition, feeling a sense of accomplishment that she's figuring out this whole relationship deal. "Yeah, sure. I was scared you would..."

"Just shut up and kiss me," Weiss demanded, yanking on the ruff of Ruby's cloak, mashing their lips together awkwardly. The leader matched her girlfriend's intensity, kissing with such passion that taking heavy breaths through her nose was almost not enough. Ruby wrapped her hands around Weiss' face, locking her in place as the heiress' arms snaked around her back, binding the two as their bodies meshed. Before long, she felt the moist touch of her lover's tip, feeling the desire that had been dammed up flooding from Weiss. The heiress parted her mouth, allowing Ruby's tongue to slip past, tentatively dancing with the sensitive nerve endings. The genuine, pleasurable reaction from Weiss' body to her actions made Ruby feel that, for once, everything was coming natural to her.

Especially the embarrassment that came after.

A slow clapping came from the entrance. Ruby froze as she turned and saw the blonde terror stood at the doorway, a diabolical smile stretching across her face as she soaked up the enjoyment she was having caught the couple canoodling. The leader jumped off her girlfriend, the heiress following as she was nervously straightening out her skirt. Ruby's eyes could barely meet her sister's, the shame of being caught too great, nervous sweat forming, her face as red as the eyes of a Grimm as she spoke to Yang.

"Y-yang, why-why are you ba-back?"

"I forgot my wallet. Pretty easy to be absent-minded when infatuated with something, or rather, someone, isn't it, Little Sis?" Yang briskly walked to her bed, collecting her Lien. Expecting to head out the door, she first came by the list of room rules, grabbing a marker off her desk to scribble on. She capped it and left the couple with the following thought. "One of many amendments I hope to make to the list to make it fair for all of us in the room. You play safe you two. I'll send a text when Blake and I will be returning."

As the door shut, Ruby felt she could breath again, letting the tension leave her body with a deep sigh. Curious as to what Yang wrote, Weiss and her inspected the rules. Just below rule number one, 'As long as Ruby and Weiss are in the room the bed is for sleeping only', was scribbled 'Blake and Yang too'. Towards the bottom, there were two new rules, 'Number twenty-one, treat my sister well, Weiss', and 'Number twenty-two, good on you, Little Sis'. Ruby felt like her relationship was official with the graffiti on the paper.

The heiress tore off the rules, "The markings alone would make me want to replace this, but I think your sister may be right. It might be time to modify it to make it more current." Weiss pulled out the snowflake necklace she had in her jacket pocket, placing it around Ruby. "Wouldn't you agree, girlfriend?"

Ruby's heart was rushing as Weiss formally addressed her, wondering if this was love. This incredible euphoria that was enveloping her as gray eyes met the heiress' blue. "Yeah. Let's get started." Ruby and Weiss took to the bed, working out a new list that would please everyone. The leader was slightly distracted though, not knowing what to make of this new awareness she was having about the heiress, but the novelty intriguing to Ruby.

" _Weiss... I don't know how to express or even articulate how I feel towards you right now and I can't wait to figure it out._ "


	10. Yang: A Friendship Caught on Fire

More than moderately priced dinners were had. Came back from Comic-Con not even a week ago. It was a magical experience, all 4 days just the best days I've had in awhile. If you all can get badges and cover the price tag, I do urge you to go, even if you're flying solo. Anyways back to the story, holy balls we're back to the ship that started it all, Bumblebee. Hope you enjoy their story after the long hiatus of White Rose. I will balance it out better in the future as I fixed the time line of chapter release so we get equal servicing. Thanks for all the fav/follows and reviews. You guys have been awfully lovely with your praise and maybe we can get to 250 followers, (10G - Personal Achievement). Hit those buttons, leave a review and check out Bakki on deviantart, who has a great Bumblebee piece in the works. And Yay, Volume 2 is here!

Yang: A Friendship Caught on Fire

The sun filtered in from the crack in the drapes, the unwelcoming rays glistering on the brawler's eyes, waking her up from a peaceful slumber. Her eyes fluttered open and gave out a small yawn as she was fighting so hard to go back to sleep. She inspected what she could see of the bedroom because her head was buried in the black mane of her partner. " _No Ruby, no Weiss, and seven-thirty!? I'm getting new drapes. I'm tired of waking up this early on a weekend._ "

Yang felt a small groan come from her chest. She peered down to see Blake readjusting herself in her sleep. A wide grin stretched across her face as she saw the Faunus, who was sporting her own small smile in her restful state. " _You sort of love cuddling in there, don't cha, Blake? I'm almost scared one day that there will be an imprint of your face on my breasts._ " She let her mind quiet as she was remembering last nights events. The couple came in from a midnight stroll around the academy, enjoying the crisp air after a long week of training with live Grimm. After they came in, Ruby and Weiss weren't in the room as agreed on by the new rules Weiss set up. Ever since Ruby heard them that night, Blake and Yang would need to alert how long they would need the room for more private matters. The couple weren't big fans of letting their team know when they'd be having sex, but they would find out anyways from the smell, the noise, and the look of the two afterward. For Ruby's sake, it was a logical choice.

As the two made it back in the room, it was a race as to who could rip each others clothes off first. Blake had a clear advantage with Yang having far less accessories than her. Before the armbands of the Faunus were barely off, Blake had already removed Yang's top and was focusing her hands and mouth over the pearl peaks. With generous bolts of ecstasy coursing through her with each flick from the Faunus' tongue, Yang found it impossible to carry on her task. She submitted and Blake pushed her into orgasm after orgasm that night. Yang is a lady of sexual integrity and gave back as much as she received, not that she needed some code to pleasure the Faunus. Yang loved everything about Blake's body. Her perfect round breasts that were the right amount of softness and fit like they were made for Yang's larger hands. Her eyes that were angled for a more feline expression with the dynamite irises that seemingly glow in the moonlight. Her long legs, heavily toned like the rest of her, yet soft whenever she would straddle the blonde.

Yang could go over every part of Blake and find no imperfection, but there was one that always was in the forefront, her cat ears. Since being in a relationship with her, the brawler has had more time to think about why she liked them, besides how cute they were. If she wasn't a Faunus, she may never have met her girlfriend. She would have never joined The White Fang and learned that change can come about from more peaceful means. If she had a tail or some other animal attribute, she would have never been able to conceal her race as easy, perhaps making it harder for her to join Beacon if she were too open to discrimination like Velvet. Blake's ears mean the world to Yang.

As if the feline appendages could tell she was thinking about them, one of them started fluttering against Yang's sensitive skin. The blonde had to stifle the initial laughs, but it seems it was enough to stir the Faunus awake. Yang found Blake sleeping to be one of the most beautiful scenes in the world. The usual hard exterior she puts up almost seems like a facade as she slumbers. The loving way she cuddles against Yang, the peaceful face and relaxed breathing of her chest is something she looks forward to the rare times she wakes up before her partner.

The Faunus tightened her grip around the naked blonde, Yang holding back a smirk as she knew Blake still thought she was asleep, taking advantage by burying her face into her bosom. Yang couldn't resist catching the Faunus red handed. "Taking advantage of a lady while she's sleeping. So underhanded there, Blake," she teasingly said in her ear.

Yang felt the Faunus get startled, widening her toothy grin. Blake kept her eyes closed, too embarrassed to acknowledge her lewd act. "Shut up. You're not supposed to be awake," Blake murmured into Yang's breasts, the soft lips titillating the delicate skin. The blonde didn't think twice about it. She gripped her arms around Blake's head and gave a lazy kiss between her ears. The two sat there, although tired, were now too alert to go back to sleep, but they still had the room for a little longer. Leisurely lying in bed, enjoying the nude splendor of each others bodies wouldn't be the worst way to kill time.

"Your snoring has gotten better," Blake softly said. "It didn't wake me up last night."

"I told you if you position me towards you, it isn't that bad," Yang responded.

"I feel awful. We have to constantly be kicking out Ruby and Weiss out so we can do this."

"Me too. I doubt Ruby likes sleeping on the floor in team JNPR's room, but this is our only option. It's not like we won't give the same privileges to them when... they start..." Yang couldn't let herself finish the sentence. Blake cupped the face of her girlfriend, amber eyes understanding the blonde's plight.

"I'll be there when it happens. I'll be sure to take your mind off of things," Blake reassured. Yang flirted back, placing a finger at her collar and following it down her cleavage.

"Do explain, in detail, how you would do that?" the blonde seductively said.

Blake tinted red and rolled her eyes to the usual bold flirt, but did something that Yang didn't want to hear. "You misread that completely. I'm still a little tired from last night. Mind if we keep it to cuddling?"

The brawler laughed, loving the idea that she orgasmed her girlfriend to the point of exhaustion, but was hoping for some morning fun. However, if she was honest with herself, she didn't know how much her performance would suffer with her own fatigue "Fine. I'll let it pass this time."

"Thanks. I love you, Yang.

"I love you too, Blake." Yang was about to go in for a kiss until the Faunus rolled out of bed, the blonde missing the touch immediately, and also the red blanket, as Blake covered herself up with it as she gazed out the window. Yang wasn't modest, definitely not around her lover, and left her top on display as the white sheets were temptingly arranged below. Blake opened the blinds and the sun flooded the room. The golden star highlighted the Faunus' outline, angelic in nature, one in particular was the white hairs in her cat ears.

The ever curious nature of the blonde kicked in. "Blake, I can't believe I never asked you this, but what's it like when I touch your ears?"

Blake concentrated on the question, searching for the right words to answer her. "It feels really good. It umm... the only way I can describe it is like a deep massage, but you don't use any force. You use the lightest of scratches and it relaxes me."

Yang was intrigued by the answer. Before Blake took the reins, Ruby used to give the brawler massages if she really needed it. The Faunus happily does it now as she can do it while reading. Yang doesn't get to reciprocate often though because of the bow. It's only times like these is she able to see Blake for all that she is. As Yang thought about it more, she can count how many times she has touched her girlfriend's ears with her hand. As an opportunist, Yang got up out of the covers and listlessly placed herself behind Blake.

Before the Faunus could inquire what was happening, Yang placed a couple fingers at the back of an ear and gently started scratching. Instinctively, Blake's ears folded down and head leaned into the touch. The Faunus let out a long moan as Yang was fiddling with the ears. The blonde felt such control of her lover in such a non-dominating way. As her hand would move away, Blake would follow it, trusting that Yang wouldn't lead her to pain. Like a true experimenter, Yang tried different techniques. Seems no matter what she did, Blake was confident in the blonde's motives. When she stopped, Blake turned around, glowing from the intimate act.

The Faunus wrapped her blanket around the naked blonde, arms crossed behind her neck. Blake closed her eyes and leaned in. Yang didn't need more cues to mimic her lover and gave a lustful kiss. As the tongues were twining, the blonde could notice the layer of salty sweat that hung around the edges. The taste reminiscent of the adventure last night, Yang cursing herself as her libido was flaring, making it difficult for her not to explore farther down the Faunus' waist.

The blissful, relaxing scene came crashing down in seconds. In their silent session, in their own little world, it was hard to hear the dorm room door open, but not the scream that came after.

"Aaahhh! Oh my gosh!. Eww!"

Yang broke away, but smart enough to keep herself covered as she noticed the intruder was none other than their leader. "Ruby! I'm so..."

The blonde interrupted as she saw Ruby flash out of the room, leaving a small trail of rose petals in her wake. Yang's instinct was to give chase and quickly dove into her drawer for undies and her sleepwear. A hand was placed on her shoulder and the blonde looked back to see the Faunus sharing the same embarrassment received by her cheeks. Yang slowed down, put on her clothes and collapsed on the bed with her hands on her face. Blake soon followed with her robe on, placing her arm around the humiliated brawler.

"That... that was a thing."

"I'm sorry. This definitely doesn't look good on both our parts. We should have paid attention more to the time. It's a quarter past eight."

"Yeah, but I'm sure Ruby had a good look at my very bare butt," Yang letting out a deep sigh. "I'm going to have to go talk to her now. Certainly apologize. I didn't think time slipped by so quickly."

"Well, first things first. I know you and I smell of sex. I think a shower is in order. You mind if I go first?"

"No, take your time. I was actually going to take you out today. Surprise..." Yang, already deflated, eked out that unenthusiastic celebration.

"Oh. Something special at the sixth month mark I see." Blake was stunned by the answer and tried her best to lift her lover's spirits. "You want to join me? I'll wash your back."

"No... thanks for the offer. Not feeling exactly turned on at the moment," Yang said defeated. Blake took her cue, released the water, and was humming to the only Achieve Men song that Yang seemingly played everyday. While her girlfriend was in the shower, Yang sat on the bed, crushed that she could be so careless with her sister.

" _I am a dunce like Weiss says. I know I love Blake and we have our fun together, but Ruby is also getting there with her girlfriend. Sex is great, awesome with the right person, unbelievably amazing with someone you love. I don't know how far Ruby and Weiss are in their relationship, but I don't want this to discourage my little sister from experiencing something beautiful, even if every fiber of my body wants to throttle Weiss for deflowering Ruby. Take a deep breath, Yang. If it had to be someone, at least it's someone who's as into your sister as she is. If she screws up the first time, it'll probably be out of love. I'm sure she wants it to be as good as the hype. Hate to tell them the first time won't, though. Anyways, I need to set things straight with Ruby. I know I had to push her into making friends, but I won't be the reason for her be hesitant with something that is no doubt on her mind._ "

Yang heard the shower stop and Blake shout from behind the door that the bath was free. Definitely a perk that came with being a couple is that two people were able to share the bathroom at a time, making time consumption in getting ready far less. Yang didn't waste effort in getting ready. She washed thoroughly to get rid of the smell of sex that lingered on her. Talking to Ruby was going to be tough enough. The last thing she needed was for Ruby to flashback to the room where a very naked Blake and Yang were passionately making out.

With a satisfied feeling she scrubbed off her stench, Yang proceeded to the mirrors where Blake was wrapped up in a towel, applying the last of her lotions. The blonde gave a cheeky slap to the Faunus' rump, which always was reciprocated twofold by her lover. Yang loved her hair, but she could do without the drying part when she was in a hurry. With no invitation, Blake took her own hairdryer and aided the blonde with the long locks. Yang snickered at the almost reflex behavior to aid her. About nine months together as partners and six months in a relationship seemed to be taking its effect. This was Blake's way of being fair to Yang who always offers the bathroom first. When the messy head of hair was mostly dry, the brawler took a brush to it to get rid of some of the kinks as Blake applied the last part of her lavender makeup.

When the two were finished, they got dressed in the usual attire and headed down to the mess hall in search for Ruby. As they were getting closer, all they could hear was the booming voice of Cardin. Blake squeezed her hand out of anger. Almost always was the usual teasing the rabbit Faunus gets and Yang's hand was a nice stress reliever for her not to expose herself. As they turned the corner, the sight before Yang couldn't have enraged her more.

"Stop it, you pigheaded oaf! Don't you understand the phrase 'no means no'? Or should I start screaming 'sexual harassment lawsuit' to get through to you," came the shrill voice from the heiress. There seemed to be only a few people in the mess hall. Unquestionably, no authority around for Weiss to be so vocal. Cardin backed away, hands in the air to protect himself from such a threat, still getting a rise out of himself and his teammates.

"Hey there now. No need to be screaming that, babe. I was only saying clearly people with money ought to stick together. Forget this lucky brat and come out on a date with me. I'm sure it will beat going to a dime store ice cream parlor." Cardin prodded the heiress harder. Yang could feel her hands clenched into balls, no doubt hurting herself. If Weiss were to throw the first punch, it was interrupted by her girlfriend.

"Look. She's with me. Now I better see you back off right now or next we fight, I promise to draw blood." Ruby got up and stood up to the instigator. The height difference was great, but watching her little sister be so noble was charming, reminding Yang of the days she would have to stand up to people for her. Appears it runs in the family.

Cardin responded by getting lower, almost touching Ruby's face. "And look at you. Little Ruby walking in the big boots of her lesbo sister. You should stay out of this while the adults talk." He tried to pepper the demeaning phrase with a couple of soft slaps to the cheek, but the fearless leader roughly shoved it away.

Yang felt her blood boil. Watching just a brief moment of the confrontation was enough to send her over the edge. The brawler tried to control herself, but was already seeing red. She grabbed an apple off the table and cried out. "Cardin, catch!"

Cardin turned around and noticed the apple shooting towards his face. With the reflexes of a hunter, he caught it, along with the punch that came after. Yang used the apple as a distraction to lower Cardin's defenses as she took a running start to strike him square in the face. Yang hadn't realized she had let her semblance release and her already powerful punch was amplified with the heat of fire. Cardin was sent across the tables, back bouncing off the wall and slumped down to the floor. Yang wasn't done with him yet. She crossed over the tables, fire catching in small amounts as the blonde made her way towards the man. Cardin was a punk, but was still a huntsman and was mostly protected by his aura, only leaving a dribble of blood coming from his nose. He clenched it and looked with ire as Yang closed the gap. She picked him up by the scruff, fire dying down as she held her impromptu opponent.

"You got a mean punch there, Blondie. Mind if you back off, you're..."

Yang quickly shut him up by forcefully shoving him up against the wall. "No smart talk. It's time for you to listen." Yang's eyes were still red, but Cardin was holding it together as he stared back. "You can make fun of me. Call me what you like, but you pick on my sister and we are gonna have some real issues. Let this be a small taste if you say or do anything more to my sister and her girlfriend. Are we clear?"

Cardin didn't respond, almost as if he lost the game of chicken, but refused to quit. He simply nodded his head and Yang stepped out and walked back to Ruby and Weiss, the reddened orbs draining back to lilac. "Thanks, Sis. Think you caught all of us off guard with that thunderous blow."

"Yeah, Yang. Thanks for that," Weiss added. The blonde pleased with her effort being imparted. Blake came up behind toting her own smile.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to see that happen. Unfortunately, prejudice thinking like that doesn't stop people like Cardin. It only reinforces the hate," Blake commented. Yang wasn't entirely pleased with her answer, but it seemed to come from a personal place. Right now was not to address it, but focus on one problem at a time.

Yang placed her hand behind her head, now embarrassed she needed to bring the incident up. "Uhh... Ruby, mind if you and I talk in the hall for a second?"

"Su-sure, Yang," Ruby agreed, looking back to her girlfriend and giving the cue that this was a private matter.

The three parts of team RWBY were out in the entrance hall. Yang didn't know where to go once she started, but began with the obvious. "Ruby, I'm really sorry for what you saw earlier. Blake and I were careless and forgot what time it was. Before we know it, you walked in."

Ruby's face lit up, remembering the very clear image from this morning as the two lovers were entangled in their fantasy. "No problem. Apology accepted. Can I go now?" The young leader quickly got out. Ruby was already making her way back to the mess hall, before Yang placed a firm grip to keep her sister in place.

"This is just as awkward for all of us. Blake," Yang propositioned for her girlfriend to speak her defense too.

"I'm sorry, Ruby. We'll be more careful next time. Certainly we will adhere to the rules better so this doesn't happen again," Blake promised.

Yang picked up where her partner left off. "Please Ruby, I don't want to distort your image about sex. I know it's weird because I'm your sister, but when the times comes, don't miss pulling the trigger because of this. Sex is pretty awesome, especially with the right person." Yang spoke fondly as she reached over and grabbed Blake's hand. She bent her knees to get down to Ruby's level, the gray eyes refusing to look at her. The blonde had to pull Ruby's face towards her to get her to focus. "Let's be adults about this one. We goofed, but we both know the day will come when you have to kick us out of the room. Please Ruby, if you're thinking about it, don't waver because I was negligent. It's something beautiful that you get to experience with someone you love."

It took awhile for the words to sink in, but it seemed the heartfelt message of love got through and Ruby's smile was returning to her face. She hugged her big sister and girlfriend, barely able to get the two in her small arms. "Thanks girls. Sorry for trying to avoid this. I was thinking about it, but if I can't really speak about it then maybe it might be too soon."

Yang's heart sank and face drained at hearing the sentence. Seems no matter how experienced Yang was in sex, it was still hard to hear her baby sister take such a mature step. "At-at least you're thinking like an adult. Looks like I don't have to worry about my little sister. You're growing up too quick for my taste, Ruby. Well, Blake and I have something planned so, we'll let you go."

Ruby thanked them again and ran off next to Weiss' side. Yang watched and felt proud and apprehensive of the young couple's future. But if Ruby were to make a mistake, it could be a worse one. Yang walked away with Blake in tow.

"That seemed to go well. I was expecting more of a fight from Ruby," Blake pointed out.

"Yeah... So was I," the blonde disappointingly said. Yang hadn't realized how sad an expression she was wearing until a small tear formed. She nonchalantly wiped it away, but Blake noticed it.

"I heard your voice shaking back there. Want to talk about it?" the Faunus offered.

"Not really, but that was easily that hardest thing to hear, ever." Yang's hand tightening its grip on Blake's. The blonde let out a deep sigh. "I'm so used to thinking about her as my baby sister that it's weird thinking about her being so adult."

"Well, I said I would take you minds of of things. I think now is good a time as any." Blake trying to be optimistic to spare the day of Yang being so down. The blonde grinned at the loyalty of Blake's dedication to her words.

"Just act surprised if you already know what's coming. This is an idea I got from a less smutty novel of your collection," Yang teased, knowing full well that Blake was trying to hide her blush in her taste in literature. The blonde stumbled upon such a treasure trove of laughs when pinning the Faunus to the bed, relentlessly tickling the dark-haired girl because Yang read it would be a good way to build partner relationships to know each others sensitive spots. Blake was completely aware this was a ploy to touch her, but submitted to the brawler's playful nature. The blonde hit a reflex and was kicked off the bed harder than she would have liked. However, it was worth it to find the slightly explicit hardcover of one of her books and all of Blake's adult literature in a haphazardly hidden suitcase.

Yang did read a few to see if they were as titillating as they seem. She had to admit some were sparking her interest, but the one that set itself apart from the rest was the one that had the perfect idea for a date. Yang didn't want to take Blake on the errand before the date to pick up a certain supplies, but it couldn't be avoided if they wanted semi-fresh food. Blake was keeping the air cool as she was in front of her favorite gourmet foods store. Nothing biased at it was Faunus owned, but she knew the irresistible delicacies that waited in there. Yang walked in empty handed, but came out with a picnic basket and a checkered, red-and-white blanket keeping the food warm.

Yang didn't like the backtrack, but the conversation was pleasant and made the ordeal a lot less painful. As they reached Beacon Cliffs, she saw the twinkle in Blake's eyes, knowing she figured out her surprise. The blonde admired the luscious green that awaited her. Glorious healthy trees as far as the eye can see and Yang had to find, again, the certain clearing she was at so long ago. The couple descended the mountain and kept a brisk run as Yang led with Blake tight in her hand. The blonde had been planning this idea for months, mostly because finding the certain area was harder than she realized. The day she found it, she collapsed with happiness and blasted trees with a marking from Ember Celica to find her way back next time.

"So, I see what you've been doing when you say you were helping Pyrrha with some sparring sessions," Blake teasingly deduced.

"I didn't mean to be deceitful. Then again, would you have even believed me that I was wandering around the Emerald Forest punching trees for markers."

"Probably not. If this is what I think it is, I'm beyond impressed. This must have taken you a few weeks and a few hundred punches."

"You don't want to know how many times I had to recreate that jump from initiation. I was in the double digits and was getting depressed when I started losing count. But sure enough I found it, several simulations later," Yang put out, almost reliving the horror in her tone.

"Well, it seems like training in some degree. If this is how hard you hit Cardin, it almost makes me feel sorry for him," Blake pointed out. Yang was brought back to the mess hall. The stoic calculating face of her girlfriend was not measuring up to the elation on Ruby and Weiss' face. It may not have been the preferred time for Yang to bring up something that irked her, but the longer she waited, the longer it could be taken out of context.

The blonde came to a complete stop, Blake perplexed at the change of air as Yang turned around, fiddling with her hair, finding a way to ask the Faunus. "Hey... uhh Blake," Yang still holding her hand, fingerless gloves being a sponge to the sweat her palms were creating. "Did me hitting Cardin upset you?" The ears under the bow perked up at the sudden accusation, "Look, I'm not poking around the subject because I'm hurt you weren't as ecstatic as my sister and Weiss, but you didn't exactly seem like you were on my side on this one."

The Faunus stood there, not contemplating a lie, but delaying the hurtful truth. She couldn't look Yang in the face with the admittance. "No. I wasn't what you would call impressed. I was actually disappointed when it was all said and done."

Yang wanted to scream at Blake, but was able to keep it to a loud roaring as Yang was pleading her case. "Disappointed?! Blake, all that happened there was my natural defense kicking in. Cardin was absolutely insulting and disrespecting Ruby. If I sat there longer, I probably would have blown a blood vessel and blacked out of anger. Are you saying it was wrong for me to stand up for my little sister?"

Blake snapped back, eyes narrowing at the sudden change of tone. To match Yang's voice, the Faunus authoritatively raised hers. "No. Not at all, Yang. A punch, especially a punch of that caliber, would have gotten the message across. It's what happened after I had a problem with. You threatened him. Granted Cardin is a scumbag and I detest him, but violence and intimidation is the reason I left The White Fang."

"But it's Cardin. It should be no different if we're fighting Torchwick," Yang snapped back.

"But it is," Blake chipped out. "Cardin is an innocent, hate being a byproduct bred from his family just like Weiss. It's actions like that don't help, but only make the Faunus plight worse. If some humans now treat Faunus as equals, it is not out of any true respect, but only from their fear of their actions. They are not the people to target with such aggression."

"Then what am I supposed to do when we're out and you're being being teased by some punk? Just sit there? Walk away and not give them what they deserve?" Yang sinisterly hypothesized.

"Yes. We can't fight like they do. If we're to change anything, it has to be the reestablishment or the dismissal of The White Fang altogether. You really scared me today. I saw fragments of him," Blake shouted out, choking on the last sentence, eyes shaking from the admittance of the underlying issue. Yang's temper burned out as the Faunus couldn't mention her ex. If there was one territory Blake hadn't crossed yet, it's the horrific breakup and systematic decay of her previous relationship with her ex. Yang could never get past the parts Blake would let her know which only ever got past his name and generic details of who he was to her alongside being her boyfriend. She knew when Blake was ready she would tell her. So she dropped it, waiting for the day that time would come. Today wasn't that day, however.

Yang released the picnic basket and embraced the Faunus tightly. Although met with initial struggle, Blake succumbed to the comforting hug. Yang turned her tone down, softly whispering into the Faunus' ear. "I didn't mean to bring up the past right now. I'm sorry about that. If you say I'm in the wrong, I'll take your word for it, but you're going to have to tell me the rules to this or else I'm going to beat up a lot of random racists." Yang peppered in the calloused joke. She couldn't see, but Blake's spirits were lifting with each word. "You said from the start that if I were to be with you, there would be times like these. As you can see, I'm not running away from it." Yang buttoned her apology by taking full responsibility for the fight, absolving the Faunus of all her anger.

Blake was released, but still held onto her partner's hands. The amber eyes so full on anger a moment ago were subsided to the mellow demeanor again. "I feel this will be a trial by error, only getting closer to the answer by making mistakes, I'll tell you about some etiquette when we get back. Until then, I'm still up for whatever you have planned if you are."

Yang pulled her girlfriend in closer, securing her hand around the waist. Blake picked up the basket and followed the markers to the destination. The fight was over, but that didn't stop the two from exchanging remorse. Blake was sorry for not saying anything in the first place, acknowledging that she wouldn't have said anything unless Yang brought it up. The blonde was quick to forgive. Being in a relationship for this long is new to her, let alone the added weight of Blake's righteous agenda. Yang was just glad that her hotheadedness wasn't clouding her judgment enough to not see her partner's feelings slowly overwhelming her. She vowed to protect her and it seems she would have to adjust her ideas of protection.

If there was any ill feelings lingering, they evaporated as the two reached the clearing where they first became partners. The occasional tan boulders in the background for the tall dark wooden trunks of the trees. The Emerald Forest was a fitting name for the rest of the foliage as bushes with red blooms were attracting the many insects to their buds, vines hanging from the occasional branch and the healthy soft bed of grass that awaited them. There was only one patch of grass that either of them were interested in and luckily, because a couple of Ursi snipped off a small lock of Yang's hair, left an easy identifier. The two peered down the trail of trees that were casualties of the fight, their stumps fully healed and firm as the rest had decayed, replenishing the ground with nutrients below. The ground that needed some nourishment was the grass behind them. The Ursa body that Blake killed now gone, dissipating to the air and the ground making up from the lack of sunlight and water. New healthy blades were far and few between, but were making a recovery. Blake walked across the ground and stood where she was when she used Gambol Shroud to critically strike the beast in a single hit.

Blake's eyes met Yang's just like so long ago. This time, Yang had a more seductive and pleasant expression than the dumbfounded look from before. Blake placed the picnic basket on the ground and rubbed the soil between her fingers, "Yang, what did you think when the Ursa dropped dead and I was standing behind it?" Blake asked, so self-assured of the answer.

Yang didn't have to think about it, the scene running through her head on occasion always with a question she didn't know how to ask. "Fishing for compliments, I see. I was completely blown away. I was so pumped up, ready to take him on, but then I see you. In a single strike, you eliminated it and I was impressed and stunned by both the beauty and mastery of that skill. Here's my thing, though, were you looking for me during initiation?"

"Seems you like to fish as well. If you must know, yes. Being with The White Fang made me very particular with whom I would be spending four years with. I wanted someone with competency and there were a few choices. But lets just say following the loud blasts of Ember Celica were very easy to track, so I chose you." Blake coyly said, pressing the fact that it could have been a few others.

Yang took a few steps forward, closing the gap between the two. "That's what I figured, although I was hoping for an answer of how awesome you thought I was." Blake rolled her eyes at the blonde's fantasy. "But this no doubt reinforces why I brought you here. That book I read talked a lot about fate, how the simple missteps can cause you to never meet that special someone. If I had a quieter weapon, would you have been able to find me? If The White Fang never turned into a militia, would you have ever attended Beacon?"

Yang was now in front of Blake, the Faunus beaming with felicity with each of Yang's words. The blonde lazily placed her arms around her girlfriend, matching her lover's gaze as eyes half-lidded. "What if you were a human and didn't have these ears?" Yang said as she reached up for the bow, untied it, and gracefully held it in her hand. Blake was already yielding to the blonde's charm, eyes closed, and awaiting for her lips. As the Faunus snaked an arm around the blonde's tight waist, Yang delicately lifted the Faunus' chin with the skill of an expert lover. Blake's free hand braced herself on Yang shoulder as she took a final look at her lover, totally exposed. Yang's lips lightly brushed against Blake's before diving in with a passion. The amorous mood created made the Faunus more receptive, begging the brawler entrance into her cavity. A few tentative licks later, the blonde invaded Blake's mouth, deliberately forcing a soft moan from the Faunus with each dance with their tongues. The complacent sighs gave Yang the permission to move a hand over the Faunus' tight stomach, fingers fighting the fabric to caress the tender breast. She was about to pin Blake up against a tree until an aggressive rumble came from Yang's stomach, causing the blonde to break the kiss, cheeks flaring from more than just the act.

Blake giggled, enjoying the embarrassment, but she had been dying to dig into the food since Yang had picked it up. She rolled out the blanket as the blonde presented the food. It may have been in a take-out box, but it was worth it to come out here than eat in the deli. Yang pulled out a rack of fish kabobs. A pound of fresh halibut, swordfish, salmon, and tuna, accented by the heat of peppers and sweetness of cherries. The blonde couldn't help but tease the Faunus, whose eyes are as big as dishes at seeing the main course. With a side of deep fried calamari and garlic dipping sauce, only made it icing on the seafood cake. The two didn't hold back, devouring the kabobs meat by meat, conversation mumbled with the chewing of food, only Blake taking her time to clear her mouth before answering. The blonde occasionally baited Blake to snag calamari from her mouth. The Faunus played along and pulled the tender morsel from Yang. The brawler came in asking for more, but her garlic sauce choice was backfiring on her with some less than fresh breath. Yang broke out a bottle of red wine, perfectly complimenting their fishy feast. With two wide mouth glasses, the blonde poured the smooth liquid, purposefully filling Blake's slightly higher to get a more frisky Faunus.

Blake took the glass, now full from the exquisite eats, swirling around, and taking a waft of the heavily alcoholic air before taking a sip. "I know I'll regret asking this, but how do you continue to get alcohol for us?"

Yang was already ecstatic before the Faunus could finish her question. "You know, these help a lot," she answered, jumbling up and down her voluptuous breasts.

The Faunus took a deep sigh, moving her focus to the glass in front of her. "I knew I would regret it," finishing it with a heavy sip from her vintage beverage.

"Aww, is my little Blake jealous?" Yang gulping from her goblet, amused by her girlfriend's immaturity.

Blake was circling her index around the rim, dancing around the answer before giving Yang the gratification. "Little bit."

"I know you know to not worry, but I'll remind you of my policy. The model is for display only, and no touching. Definitely not available for take-home or purchase," Yang jested, bringing a relaxed smile to Blake. The blonde had one more trick up her sleeve and it was lining the bottom of the basket. With the meal whining down to the elegance of the moment, she brought out the novel she took the idea from and presented it in front of Blake.

"I should have known you took it. I'm not one to misplace my collection," Blake said, relief in her tone.

"I actually didn't have time to read the ending. Mind if you read it to me?" Yang eagerly got out. Blake agreed and Yang got behind her, propping herself up against a tree. The Faunus now wrapped up in a blonde cocoon, back resting on the pillowy chest, Yang burying her face into the black hair, vision framed by the cat ears twitching from the intimacy. As the story concluded, Yang's initial optimism of the tale slowly faded as fate was backfiring on the protagonist. Losing the one he loved from mistakes he made in the past, now thinking back on them weren't worth the cost. Blake closed the book with the last line read, leaving Yang deflated with the ending.

"That uhh... that did not have a happily ever after that I was hoping for. Kind of leaves a sour note on a date so sweet," Yang complained, gripping the Faunus tighter with the gloomy reception.

"Not all these books have a happy ending. Sometimes, neither does life, but at least these type of tales gives some food for thought." The depressing idea flowed into Yang. The blonde sat in silence, doing exactly as Blake insisted. Like an epiphany, that answer dawned on her.

"If I am the author of our story, I would make sure that I don't squander what fate has blessed me with," Yang finishing of her sentiment with a few light kisses, nuzzling on the back of Blake's head. The Faunus felt the hope flow from her partner, letting the realist in her quiet down to turn around and give a well-deserved kiss on the lips.

Blake parted and Yang met the peerless amber orbs. "There's your sweet ending to this date. This story has two writers, though. I promise I won't write you out," the Faunus whispered, sneaking in a loving smooch, quelling the tense tone, Yang wrapping her arms around Blake, devoting her full resolution to keeping her words true. The blonde got over long ago that Blake wouldn't be adventurous outside the bedroom, but the alternative had grown on her. The Faunus curled up against her as Yang scratched behind Blake's ears, each stroke causing her partner's head to lean into her strong shoulder, fingers involuntarily digging into her stomach. The snuggling tickled Yang's face as the ears flapped onto the sensitive skin. The two sat there, enjoying the silence and the shade of the trees on the warm day. Soon, the two called it quits and headed back to Beacon.

* * *

Yang was still riding the high of the date two days later. She shrugged it off as just love making her a little ditzy, but she was going to enjoy this ride. She dropped down to the lockers, grabbing her spare pair of training gear to go spar with a few dummies. As she opened her locker, a small black envelope fell from the top. Yang wanted to assume it was a cute love letter from Blake, but the letter seemed far more nefarious with the words ' _open or else_ ' written on the front. She swiftly opened the top and pulled out the paper, spilling photos onto the ground. Yang cautiously picked one up and felt her heart sink from the image. It was her and Blake on their date, her girlfriend completely exposed as the Faunus she conceals everyday. Yang picked up the others, only to have each one having Blake in the focus. She agitatedly flashed her eyes to see any indicator as who would have sent this, but only found computer font and no signature. " _No. No. No! What happened? Who could have done this?_ "


	11. Blake: Keeping the Cat in the Bag

This will be a nice quick update. Guys and girls alike, way to give me my 10G and beyond. I sure didn't expect to reach the amount of followers in the time frame. Thanks for all the support. Perhaps 300 followers for (20G – Personal Achievement) isn't that foreign an idea. Fav/follow and review. I enjoy reading them and your thoughts. One more time I'll pimp Bakki on DeviantArt as the latest Bumblebee pic should be out soon and also a cheeky White Rose in the works.

Blake: Keeping the Cat in the Bag

The Faunus was sitting on her bed, the warm spring air flowing through the open window as she was enjoying her read. She always felt the one true benefit of coming to an academy is its resources on books. It may not be the biggest selection of fiction, but she was able to find a few classics that peaked her interest. With such a limited budget, a small trip to the the library sure beat some days where her purchases at the local Vale bookstore would be hundreds of Lien. Not that she didn't see it as money well spent, but it would leave budgeting for anything else rather slim, especially the occasional surprise gift she would get Yang.

A good mystery was one of her favorite reads, mostly because she was able to guess along with the protagonist on who done it and how. It was exciting to figure out, correct or incorrect, the ending. Although she did have to pat herself on the back when she was right on the dot. In the novel she was half way through, the main character had already singled out the suspects and now just needed the motivation and murder weapon. However, Blake was finding it hard to interpret clues with Weiss and Ruby in the room.

The two lay on Weiss' bed, stomachs stretched out on the sheets and casually putting in some studying so they can go on a date the next week. Peppering in some time each day would allow for that. It's not that Blake found them to be a distraction with their back and forth of either bickering or flirting, but she did find it hard to ignore.

"Weiss... come on. Give me a kiss," the young leader pleaded as she was puckering her lips. The heiress slamming her palm in Ruby's face.

"Eww, not on your life with that cookie breath. You don't realize how gross it is for me to have the lingering smell of chocolate chip after a lengthy kiss with you."

"Yeah. I don't get it. Cookies are awesome," Ruby fired back.

"Fine, you want a kiss? Either you finish the rest of the studying for today or," the heiress paused bringing something out of her coat pocket, "you take a couple of these."

The dark green plastic container that Ruby hated was brought to her face. She immediately covered her mouth, splitting the fingers to get her complaint out. "You can't keep giving me those death strips. They're terrible and they sting."

"If they sting that means they are working. I already put up with your milk breath and that's only because you're very good about brushing your teeth afterward. You snack on cookies throughout the day and sometimes I'd rather not smell like a bakery. Eat it," Weiss commanded, narrowing her eyebrows. Ruby shook her head in response, forcing the heiress to show her hand.

Blake stopped her voyeurism and put her focus back to her book. " _Those two. They sure are cute when they argue. So long as it isn't over anything major they will be just fine. It is rather charming, though. I'm the only one that gets to see this kind of banter. Ruby and Weiss find it awkward to be so close when Yang is in the room. Speaking of argument and her, I'm glad we were able to roll over what could have been a serious issue. It's hard for those who aren't discriminated against to put themselves in my shoes, but Yang seemed eager to learn when we got back from our date. I don't think I've had to bore her with so much technical talk, but many incidents like that will be few and far between._ "

Blake returned to her reading while the couple wrestled, Weiss determined to get the breath strip into the short-haired girl. Ruby may not have noticed it, but the heiress wouldn't be fighting this hard if she didn't want to kiss too. The Faunus held back her tongue, letting the younger ones figure it out on their own instead of embarrassing them both.

The white door crashed open, the couple immediately separating with a few loud yelps of terror and looks of fear towards the entrance. Blake dropped her book and was about to jump for her weapon until she saw the rushing yellow figure. Yang snatched the Faunus by the forearm, forced her from her spot and climbed onto the frame of the window. "Jump now!"

Blake didn't hesitate and did as she was told. She couldn't believe how she went from sitting still to a full blown sprint, but she barely had time for questions, let alone the answers, as Yang was dragging her somewhere. She reached the Emerald Forest before she knew it, blistering past trees with such force that the power they were creating was blowing off the leaves.

Yang came to a dead stop. Blake released herself, now frightened of the woman in front of her. Heavy breathing, fists clenching, shoulders tightening as the blonde stood, rage coursing trough her as the little fires of her semblance were releasing. Blake took a step back as the fire grew larger, and with a loud scream of violence came and explosion of heat. The blonde used her full force to knock the nearest tree next to her, cracking the mighty wood in half, sending the trunk into another, irreparably harming the wooden cushion. Tree after tree was being knocked down, staggering the Faunus at what she was witnessing.

"Yang! Stop it!" Blake screamed, the blonde not adhering to the pleaful command. Blake wasn't one to care too much about nature, but Yang was about to send the forest in an inferno if she didn't stop. The Faunus kept calling out to her girlfriend, trying to get through to her as she was stepping closer to the flames. Blake was running out of things to say, resorting to a last ditch effort to stop Yang. She released her aura, concentrating as hard she she could to protect herself. As soon as she felt confident, she bolted straight towards her target. The Faunus' arms bound the blonde, successfully stopping the rampage on nature, but the fire still burning hot.

"Yang! It's me, Blake! Calm down! It's alright!" Blake cried out, eyes closed, wondering how long her aura would assist in keeping her safe from the heat. Yang's writhing subsided along with the pyre of her partner. As she felt Yang's breathing normalize, her heaving chest letting deeper packets of air enter and release. The Faunus felt safe to look up, but felt it may have been too soon. Yang's red irises bled out, making way for the lilac ones she's grown fond of, but not the emotions behind them.

"Yang, please talk to me. You're really scaring me right now. What's this all about?" Blake asked as comforting as she could. The blonde's response was simply to place her forehead on the Faunus' shoulder, Blake relieving the burden that's been placed on her partner as Yang lay speechless, the answers she requested taking a secondary priority to whatever was causing her to act so berserk. The black-haired girl felt her girlfriend start to put her full body weight on her, Blake slowly lowering both to their knees on the grass beneath them.

The long silence was broken by a few words. "It's not alright. I might have screwed up, Blake."

Fingers threaded through the long blonde mane as Blake stroked the blonde's back. "Yang, whatever you did, it can't be too much of a grievance." Yang slowly raised her head, the consoling words of the Faunus not working as the blonde's eyes quaked. Yang reached into her satchels, an envelope in her grasp as she presented it to Blake. The Faunus almost thought it was an official school letter of serious penalty until she saw the words 'open or else' written on the front. She examined the brute force way it was opened, the top frayed and ripped thoroughly on some areas, the parchment crushed in what looked like Yang's hands seemed to be smoothed out. Blake brought out what was inside, a single page letter, to whom the letter was addressed to already had her throat tightening.

"To the Faunus and the Faunus-Lover..." Blake trailing off, unable to speak the words as she continued.

" _It seems someone has been hiding a dirty little secret from the rest of the school. Blake Belladonna is a cat Faunus. I should have known that you don't wear that bow as a fashion statement. It's so obvious now that I see it, especially when I know I saw it move couple times. Your cat ears twitch just like the filthy animal it comes from. I'll be honest, when I decided to take a few pictures of some girl-on-girl action to put on the internet, never did I think I would find this gold mine of knowledge._ "

"Pictures..." she murmured out. A hand extended, Yang placing them in her field of vision. Blake's attention of the threatening letter diverted as she saw the slightly crinkled photos. The Faunus involuntarily shivered as she saw herself kissing, eating, and relaxing with Yang with her ears fully exposed. Blake was shocked at the privacy of her relationship being spied on, but even more aghast at the fact that it was combined with her true identity being revealed.

She read on. " _Now, here's what you do. Later tonight, you report to these coordinates that I've left on the bottom of the letter. Zero excuses. If you don't, I will put these pictures up around the school so that everyone can know the freak that roams the halls. I'll also still put them on the internet. I'm sure some sick pervert likes human-on-Faunus action. If you do comply, you will see me and we can talk of an arrangement. Hope to see you there._ "

Her mouth fell agape as Blake finished reading the letter. Short, shuddered gasps of air, her lungs constricting as the shortness of breath was worsening, eyes contracting as the realization was hitting her over and over again. She was blackmailed. The letter fell between her fingers as she clenched her chest, heart beating impossibly hard it was hurting, a slick layer of sweat forming as her world was being flipped.

Blake felt the strong arms of her girlfriend wrap around her, cradling the Faunus' head "Blake. Breathe. Come on. Let's take deep breaths. Let's not forget your training now," she said in the most soothing voice the blonde could produce in her own anxiety. Blake did as instructed and inhaled deep, holding it for a few seconds before releasing. The Faunus continued as Yang was scrambling to calm her down. "I-uhh... try thinking of a happy place, anywhere you feel at peace.

Blake's mind frantically looked for the answer amidst the confusion. " _In a tree? No. A beach? No. Back at the dorm room reading alone? Yes, but also no. I can't think straight. What is relaxing?_ " Her mind disconnected as Yang fumbled with other techniques she could think of at the top of her head. Hearing the blonde be so caring, so dutiful, so altruistic in her attempt to calm Blake down before herself gave the understanding she was searching for. " _It's here. It's here in Yang's arms and her in mine is where I'm most relaxed. It's the lazy days where she curls up with me and I read her to sleep, when I follow soon after, resting my head on her chest and let her rhythmic heartbeat lull me to sleep. Where I can separate myself from problems like Torchwick and The White Fang and have those momentary pockets of peace._ "

With Blake's condition improving, she snaked her arms to mimic Yang's attempt to tranquilize her. As she was normalizing, Yang was too. The couple held each other in the partially destroyed part on the forest lasted as long as it needed to. Blake still mulled over the contents of the letter, the frightening aspect that in a few hours the entire school could turn on her, with the exception of her friends.

"I'm so sorry, Blake. I feel this is my fault by taking off your bow," Yang softly confessed.

Blake couldn't let her brawler beat herself up about it, Blake responded in Yang's chest. "Yang, you may be right, this could all be your fault, but I never want you to feel bad about taking off my bow. You're the only human that not only accepts who I am, but also hates it when I try and disguise myself. It's why I let you take the bow off. The fact that you have to see me without it means a lot to me. You love me for all that I am, ears included."

"But I'm going to assume that you're not ready for the rest of the world to see you like this?" the firm hands stroking the Faunus as she rested on her shoulder. Blake gave her reply with a few shakes of the head.

"The day will come when I can throw the bow in the trash, but until then, it's easier if I'm able to move around as a human. Change comes through continuous struggle and a small way to make the struggle easier is to work from the shadows, where I can't be noticed," Blake explained.

"Don't throw your bow away. I know I don't like it, but before I knew you were a Faunus, you were the cute girl in the bow reading in candlelight," Yang effortlessly dismantling the tension with some cheerful words, Blake letting herself smile for a moment.

"I'll let you have it then. Maybe you can start wearing it," Blake jested back.

"Yeah... maybe," Yang quietly quipped back. The near future now burrowed itself in their minds. The couple got themselves up, dusted each others knees off and headed back to Beacon, arms around each other in solidarity instead of love. Blake kept glancing back to the letter, the typeface not indicating who could have sent it, leaving a healthy discussion of who-done-it back to the dorm.

"Sure is a disappointment that the lockers are coed. Maybe could have narrowed this down to a girl if we had our own separate rooms," Blake pointed out.

"This isn't one hundred percent logic proof, but here's how I can narrow it down for you. This person was stalking us and taking pictures of us getting it on. Clearly a guy. I'd be amazed if a girl would be this disgusting," the blonde spitting fire at the depraved existence of the individual.

"For the sake of trying to figure out who did it, we'll say you're right, still leaving half of the school." Blake read over the letter again, searching for a clue that wasn't there, her determination unwilling to let the wool be pulled over her eyes. Yang took notice of the Faunus' eyes straining to analyzing the document.

"I know I shouldn't be saying this, but stop reading it. I read it about ten times and couldn't even narrow it down to class levels," Yang doing her best to reel the Faunus out of a spiral.

"Part of me agrees with you. I can't even find a motive other than a natural disdain for the Faunus, but it's not like we can go incriminate anyone just because they don't like my race. Even if they don't come off as hateful, there are still many uneasy around my people. I know I'm going overboard, but I hate walking into a trap. I am highly skeptical that the prick that did this would actually show up."

"I'm with you there. While you were reading, I did look up the coordinates. They are somewhere out here actually. I'd say go investigate early, but if the trap's already set, and we don't have our weapons, then it could end very poorly."

"Yeah... We have to play his game, but we might as well come prepared," The annoyance conveyed in her tone that they are on the defensive. Yang rubbed the Faunus shoulders, the small action reassuring the Faunus that Yang would be by her side. If there was a silver lining to any of this, it was Yang's loyalty shining through the darkness.

As the two returned to the dorm, the two grabbed their weapons and headed down to the training area. Both warmed up for the anticipating battle, trying not to overexert themselves, but the frustration of the situation did allow for a few too forceful blows to be exchanged. Blake always found it interesting to spar with Yang. Gambol Shroud is most effective at keeping enemies at a distance, allowing for precision strikes and a less likely chance of a head on attack. Yang though was all about the close quarters combat, having Blake to find a way to counter when the blonde got close enough to tilt the situation in her favor. Before they were a couple, this is what drove the Faunus to appreciate her partnership with Yang, making her a better huntress at the start of the gate.

After flexing the body, Blake was flexing the mind with quick meditation before they had to leave. She tried her hardest to get Yang to appreciate what it does, but the blonde couldn't sit still for it longer than a commercial break. As much as she wanted her girlfriend to join in some of her training habits, she was fine with Yang sitting back, rotting her mind to some internet clips or television before a fight. The letter didn't indicate when night was, but as soon as the sun was setting, the two set a pace for the objective point.

The spring nights in Vale were pleasant. The weather not too cold nor warm to have a brisk walk outside without a jacket. Full moon created enough light on the campus to have a natural silver polish to everything. With the slog of winter over, the insects migrated back from the south, their mating calls adding a pleasant soundtrack to the twilight sky. It would be such a romantic date, Blake and Yang hand in hand, the Faunus curling up to the blonde's curves unnecessarily close as they would talk about their pasts, peppering in the tongue-and-cheek flirt.

Unfortunately, all the pleasantness was going to waste as the two silently were walking down to their meeting area, still holding hands, but the spark nonexistent. As they were wading through the trees, Yang broke the silence. "Hey, I'm sorry I acted crazy earlier. I didn't meant to scare you. It was a lot of information to process at once and my first reaction is usually to punch things."

"I've been around you long enough to notice you have a temper. I do forgive you, but please work on it. It was alarming to say the least."

"I will. The last thing I want is for it to come up at an inopportune time, especially if it concerns The White Fang.

"Thanks. It's rare to see humans on my side. Some of them I feel are with us for a false aspect, as if they just want to be part of a counterculture. But when your numbers are so small, you take what you can get. It's rather refreshing to see someone like you that actually cares," Blake responded, giving a light squeeze of admiration to Yang's hand. The blonde always took it one step further and nimbly brought her hand up for a small peck. Blake wanted to stand back and admire the picture, never thinking that she would have someone this allegiant with her as a girlfriend.

Blake pulled a one-eighty in attitude since she read the letter. The crippling anxiety replaced with the determination to meet and defeat her hustler. Still, part of her training is to acknowledge fear, not ignore the reason she's fighting. She knew the situation had a very little chance of ending in her favor, almost a no-win kind of scenario. The only saving grace is that the perpetrator would show himself, but Blake wouldn't get her hopes that high. With the dream of victory so low, she contemplated how life would be the next morning if photos did surface around campus. The Faunus' spine crawled at the initial shocked reaction of the students, the more awkward and tense stares she would get casually walking around, and the possible hate she would have to face. The imagery alone was enough to make her cringe with fear. Even with the support of Yang behind her, this was the kind of treatment she was hoping to steer her away from. All the more reason to walk into this showing confidence, and to pull off the successful evasion of this trap.

The two found the meeting place. A single cave was in front of them, the Faunus already guessing at what would come next. With no signals of an applause or a greeting of some kind from the tormentor she felt confident enough to assume he wouldn't show up. As they surveyed the area, a small blinking green light on a dead area of the earth caught their attention, tiptoeing to the lucient device as to not set off a snare. A scroll lay on the ground, pulsating the message of ' _activate me_ ' on the black screen. Yang pressed the deviously placed equipment to show something rather not surprising.

"Good night to you two, Blake and Yang," rang Cardin's voice. The Faunus' blood pressure rose at seeing the dark blue eyes, so gratified in his own tactics while filming it. "I do hope you girls come here or otherwise I would be up all night making copies. Team RWBY has always been a thorn in my side, but never had a reason to hate you until I found a Faunus in your ranks, and let's not forget a very underhanded punch thrown by you, Yang. I probably wouldn't have even followed you girls looking for dirt if you hadn't made a fool of me in the mess hall. But now the question remains of how to get back at the both of you. Ladies, I do hope you like your next three opponents courtesy of Team CRDL."

The video made a hard cut to the flashing message of 'this scroll will now explode in five, four...' Yang immediately threw the scroll in the sky, giving it a single shot from Ember Celica, the explosion big enough the give a generous amount of heat as it erupted. "Cardin," Yang chipped through gritted teeth.

"That fiend," Blake finished. A small stillness followed the blast, Blake almost calling Cardin's bluff until a monstrous roar came from the cave, a spine scrawling outcry that shattered the peace in the night. Blake and Yang got into their attack positions, waiting for whatever would rush out of the cave. A single yellow orb lit up from the black abyss, then another on the hill above it. The first Death Stalker came bursting out of the cave, some of the mountain's debris taken with it as the shambling Grimm confronted the ones who woke it. The second scuttled down the walls, another battle cry shouted before joining his friend.

"Want to focus on one or have a individual match with these things?" Yang harshly asked under her breath.

"I can take one, but I thought Cardin mentioned three?" Blake pointed out, narrowing her eyes onto the soulless bloodthirsty eyes of her opponent, the red markings of a Grimm flaring up as he taunted the duo.

"Well, all I see is two right now. Let's focus on what's in front of us and keep yourself on guard of a sneaky third one. Agreed?"

"Yeah. Go!" Blake immediately took a step back as Yang revolved her ammo in her weapon, landing a thunderous blow to her Death Stalker. Blake knew from previous battles that the safest place to fight one is to get behind them. As the enemy was charging, Blake was setting off Gambol Shroud into a sickle, hooking the tip of the stinger and whirling it around. The beast thrashed around, its massive pincers trying to pull back and attack the Faunus. Blake reeled herself down, tightening the chain and stabbed the bottom base of the stinger.

The creature gave a shriek of pain, whipping its tail forward and slamming Blake to the ground. She didn't slouch, aura protecting her and giving her the reflexes to roll around, evading the follow up sting from the hulking tail. The tip almost dwarfed the Faunus as it lifted the soil casually, the hole a perfect spot for a grave. Blake now faced the many eyes of the Death Stalker, blocking the claw attacks with quick feet and her weapons, bolstered by her aura. " _I need to get behind it again. I cracked the armor from the bullets underneath it._ "

The Grimm lurched forward to try and grasp the Faunus in its mandibles, but Blake doubled back, using the chain on Gambol Shroud to swing around the trees, knowing she would only have one chance at this as the monster gave chase, dismantling her only way to swing. Behind the monster, again, she whipped to the top of the armored base, transforming the weapon into a dual blade katana, plunging Gambol Shroud into the weakened plates. Blake dodged the whipping tail as it attempted to scrape the Faunus off him. She was able to sever the nerves to the appendage with a few rough twists, the monster crying out as the part was severed off.

Blake flipped off the Death Stalker, examining her opponent. The creature was in a painful torment, barely able to keep itself standing with its many legs giving out from the pain. Blake didn't waste any time and pounced on the beast, taking chopping slices to the back of the head, staggering the creature with each blow. As the casing was cracking, Blake saw the segmented lining between head and body. With a small adjustment, she stabbed at the creature, Blake feeling the sharpened blade impaling the tissue and crushing the bone.

With the nerves cut off, the sudden drop of the Death Stalker meant her opponent was finished. She turned to aid Yang, realizing that her girlfriend was every bit as competent as her. The creature was on its back, writhing as Yang straddled it, pounding the Grimm into submission, the explosive fists continuing until Yang was able to break through the underbelly, littering the ground with red casings. Eventually, the blonde got tired, or maybe got bored, after she ran out of ammo and stood atop her opponent, dusting herself off.

"Overkill much?" Blake asked, examining the small scraps and bruises of her girlfriend.

"A little bit, but he was able to knock me back in the mountain a few times. Couldn't let that one slide past me once I had the upper hand," Yang smirking at her own explanation. Blake let the minor victory set in as she gazed on the proud face of her partner, dust ridden and a dribble of blood coming from her mouth, letting herself grin at the beauty after battle.

The pleasant mood was ruined with a yellow orb now hovering above Yang, red designs lighting up around her, a single strike occurred before Blake could react. "Yang!"

The blonde was side swiped by the monolithic pincer, her body landing by Blake's original death stalker. Blake immediately brought back out Gambol Shroud, dual wielding the katana and sheath as the enraged Death Stalker was sideswiping with its claws and the occasional jab with the stinger. She was already bushed from earlier, barely keeping up with the aggressive attacks. A big swing connected, sending Blake bouncing off the stinger she eviscerated. A few small coughs were released as the hit knocked the air out of her. She needed to end this fast, but there was only one quick solution to kill a Death Stalker. It's one true weakness is its stinger, the one item that ironically can penetrate its armor like a knife through butter.

Blake transformed her blade into the chain scythe, tying the other end to the cut off tail of her former adversary. She leaped into the air as the Death Stalker took a few last jabs before she was out of reach. Using her gun to propel her, Blake was high above the trees, able to get a good look at the town and the academy with her altitude. She flipped the tail and positioned it directly above the Death Stalker's head. Using her pistol, she speed up the stinger to strike down. Before impact, she leaped off, hoping the creature wasn't smart enough to know her tactic. As the dust settled, the head was concaved in, a few legs still spasming after death.

The feeling of a win was immediately blown away as the disgruntled moans of her girlfriend were the only sound left. Blake packed away her weapons and rushed to Yang's side. Her lover gripped the bottom of her right thigh, sighing away the pain, taking deep breathes as she could through the cursing. The noticeable blood trailing the shattered Death Stalker armor was clear to what happened, a clean slice into Yang's flesh as she was barreling towards it.

Blake got on her knees, placing her hands on Yang's leg, "Please, move your hands. I need to see how it is?"

Yang's acknowledged Blake's request, but her hands were involuntarily shaking from the shock and well deserved as Blake examined the wound. A large gash, ripping slightly up her shorts, was a half foot cut, deep enough for it to be bleeding copiously. "Is-is it bad?" Yang bringing herself to shakily get out her curiosity.

"Yeah... Pretty bad. Yang, jacket please," Blake ordered, She noticed her brawler struggling disrobing herself, procuring the Faunus to help Yang out with the tan garment. The benefit of the jacket is that its small sleeves were good enough to make a makeshift tourniquet, but the fabric was not enough to absorb the still bleeding cut. Blake knew what she had to do, but didn't want to risk anymore Grimm that may be lurking about, the wounded blonde an easy target.

Blake made sure her hand was pressuring the wound, much to Yang's displeasure as she winced at the pain. With the blonde being carried bridal style, the Faunus made haste back to Beacon, the lightning speed she was racing back had Yang tighten her arms around Blake's neck. Every second precious as Blake could feel the blood soak through, forcing her to readjust her grip when she could feel her hand slipping. Ever focused at what's in front of her, all Blake could hear was Yang's labored breathing get rougher.

"Blake..." Yang breathed out.

"Don't worry, Yang. We're almost there, just stay awake. OK," Blake tried reassuring her girlfriend.

"Not that... It's just... you carrying me... it's kinda...sexy," Yang barely spoke, Blake being caught off guard by the comment.

"If this were any other time I think it would be a little more sexy."

"Trying to... distract myself," Yang admitted. Blake smiling on the inside, keeping her face stern on the exterior as the worry for her girlfriend was increasing. The two reached Beacon's grounds, the infirmary was only yards away. She knew it was no hospital, but was hoping a doctor would be on call at an academy that trains fighters. With all the shouting and commotion, there was no response, leaving the only option of kicking down the door. With Blake carrying Yang, the added weight was beneficial as the door was knocked open, the latch plating coming with it.

Blake gently placed Yang on her stomach as comfortable as she could on the nearest bed, gathering pillows of some the spares to elevate her leg. The Faunus, still burning with adrenaline, looked for the items she needed to stitch up Yang, turning the office upside down to find a sewing needle, disinfectant, a towel, and a bandage. She hastily brought them over and set them on the table next to her girlfriend. Blake cleaned up the wound of the excess blood, before applying the disinfectant.

"I'm sorry, Yang. Brace yourself. This is going to hurt," Blake ordered. Lilac eyes contracted as she saw Blake holding the bottle of disinfectant to the towel. The blonde buried her face in a pillow, gripping the metal railing as she awaited the necessary evil. Blake counted down, but at one already surprised Yang with the agonizing pain of alcohol to flesh. The Faunus rushed through the process as quickly as she could, hoping the drugging would desensitize the wound enough for the next fun part.

Blake had to steady herself as she was trying to thread the needle, missing most of the time due to the chaos she's trying to control. She did a quick sterilization of the needle and thread, keeping her mind level as she had a more delicate procedure next. "I'm going to start the holding stitch. You ready?"

Yang shook her head up and down the pillow, muffling her cries of suffering. Blake didn't hesitate, as soon as she punctured Yang's skin, a small yelp was heard. Now it was like lacing shoes, except a lot more painful, the Faunus zigzagging with the needle, each stitch pulling the wound closer, small dibbles of blood excreting when a nervous twitch trembled through her hands, apologizing profusely to her girlfriend. At reaching the end, Blake tied the knot, seeing her work good enough for the wound to heal properly.

Yang flipped herself over, Blake putting on a new cotton cloth, wrapping the thigh enough to secure the fastening. The two were drenched in blood, Blake's vest and white top splattered with red, resembling bad modern art painting. Blake undressed Yang from her skirt, the wet clothing so soaked is was sticking itself to the blonde and the bed. The Faunus brought up a chair to her girlfriend, holding her hand as the other was brushing the sweat and hairs from her face.

"You did great Blake. I owe you one," Yang's mood reverting back to her bubbly self. Blake's high was coming down, able to see the situation and how it began in the first place. The more she stared at Yang's gracious face, the more she felt the guilt rise in her, eyes watering at the realization. Yang quick drawn to comfort the Faunus. "Blake, what's with the tears?"

Blake sniffled up mucus, letting a few drops fall before responding. "Yang, this is all my fault. This is what I was trying to tell you before we got together, what I was hoping to avoid, but look at you. If I were a human... you wouldn't have gotten hurt. I should be so stupid to believe it could be alright. I'm so sorry, Yang."

Hanging her head, the droplets dotted the sheets, choking back the sobs as she was trying her best to hold it together. Blake heard the sound of shuffling. Without warning, Yang's fingers lifted Blake's chin up, lilac eyes matching hers. "Please don't cry, Blake. If you do, I'm going to cry too."

Blake, unable to resist the sincere remark, nestled herself into Yang's neck, the blonde embracing the Faunus, warm wetness falling on Blake's shoulders, the Faunus digging her fingers into her back. Through her own shortness of breath, Yang tried her best to encourage her. "Blake, I never want you to blame yourself for this. I knew what I was getting into when I confessed to you, maybe a little cocksure that it would never happen to us, but it's going to take a lot more than this to convince me that we don't belong together. Sorry, Blake. I'm crazy about you. If taking a scratch or two every once in awhile means that's what it takes to be with you then I accept the challenge. We're huntresses. We put our lives on the line to fight Grimm to keep the general public safe. What makes you think you wouldn't supersede my priority?"

Blake's heart took solace in the words, knowing that there really isn't too much worse that could happen in terms of Faunus discrimination. Still, the wound was fresh from their encounter and it wasn't as effective as she would hope, tears still rippling as Yang held her, the bare shoulder wet. "But, I..."

"Nope. Not gonna hear it. It's going to take more than Cardin and three Death Stalkers to pull you from my grasp," Yang boasted. Blake knew she wasn't going to win this argument with the stubborn blonde. On second thought, did she want to win? Only to prove her dark idiosyncrasies about dating a human.

"Thanks, Yang," she murmured against Yang's dirt ridden skin.

"That's more what I was looking for. I know we're having a moment and everything, but I think we ought to discuss our retaliation."

Faunus ears perked up at the statement. "What revenge? Yang, I thought we went over this?"

"I know, but you said we can't hurt innocents, to let the occasional hateful slur go by and even if things are thrown at us, but you know this was taking it too far. He lured us in knowing that we would get hurt and hoping we would die. Cardin is no innocent. You see how he gets away with mistreating Velvet, even getting some of the other students involved, let alone his cronies. His next platform will be in the city promoting this kind of discrimination. I'm not saying taking the low road like he did, but we have to do something, anything to show him that he can't get away with this."

Blake stared into the violet irises of her girlfriend. She didn't know if even Yang was believing in what she was saying, knowing her brawler just wanted to fight back, but she did have a point. Cardin was far from innocent. If Yang was striving to use the Faunus' own logic against her, it was working. The small smile of her girlfriend, willing to back her up on any situation, pivoted her to take action.

"I hope you're up for some revenge. I don't do sloppy work," Blake announced, relieved to hear her own words ringing in both her and Yang's ears, a wide grin spreading across the blonde's face, a flurry of excitement racing within her.

" _I might be riding on a ship destined to sink, but I couldn't have a better first mate to travel with. Let the first couple's project we do be filled with the humiliation of our enemy._ "


	12. Yang: Revenge is a Dish Best Served Scorching

Another quick note. Umm, holy crap guys, I'm over 300 follows on the story. One day reaching 400 or 500 isn't some pipe dream. Till then, I can't thank you enough for following and favoriteing. Thanks for the continued support. White Rose fans, next chapter will be for you. After the initial unbalance of the coupling, the chapters now should now be equal service so there isn't long dry spells for either ship. In case you haven't seen, the new Bumblebee pic is on Bakki's dA and Tumblr so be sure to give him some well deserved love. Fav/follow and review.

Yang: Revenge is a Dish Best Served Scorching

With Yang patched up and Cardin's revenge in agreement, the two didn't see any reason to stay in the ward any longer. They surveyed the room, the mess created would no doubt cause the doctor to have Ozpin look into the break in. However, the consequences of the matter wouldn't be too severe if only a few cloths and some thread went missing. Yang stared at the medicine cabinet, knowing the glorious pills that would stop the throbbing in her thigh lay within her reach, forgoing them to make any future punishment less intense.

A bit dizzy from the blood loss and limping from the pain, without question, Blake picked Yang up again, the intimate gesture making the blonde blush, evening lighting concealing the admiration. Even in previous relationships, she was used to picking up her partner and carrying them to the room, slamming them against the soft sheets and ravaging their bodies. She knew this time was different, but there was still the charming effects of her lover picking her up so gallantly, making her feel so dainty when she is so dominant, the blonde feeling small and submissive.

She loved it.

"Can you admit now that this is kind of sexy?" Yang purred into Blake's ears, arms wrapping around the Faunus' neck, fingers tickling the small hairs of her nape.

"Sorry, try again. It's a little bit sexier than before, but considering that we have your bloody skirt in your lap and my top is just a dribbled mess of gore, I think we can do better," Blake answered, a small smirk satisfied with her reply. Yang loved the fiery sarcastic retorts of Blake. They may not have the sophistication of Weiss' fervent rants, but it got the message across in a more subtle demeanor. With the limited energy she could muster, she lifted herself to Blake's chin, pecking the lining of the jawbone, latching her mouth for a moment to tease the Faunus' neck, a salty flavoring coating the skin.

The cute, innocent gestures only caused Blake to giggle and, without the use of her hands, made it awfully audible in the stilled hallways of the dormitory at night. The light brushes from the blonde's thick mane were too much for the Faunus, her sentence breaking to the suppression of snickers. "Yang, stop... People… are sleeping."

"I know I should, but I am a bit smitten by you taking the reigns. I know this isn't the first time, but I always found it incredibly hot when you turn the tables in bed, the purposely placed hickey that my scarf can't hide as you publicly mark me, thoughtfully carrying me after patching me up from a battle like a knight in shining armor."

"OK, now you're mixing my filthy romance novels with the classic fiction you used to read to Ruby. Speaking of which, your sister and Weiss are going to freak out with us covered in blood."

The blonde saw the reasoning behind Blake's statement. "If we tiptoe in, I can grab a plastic bag from the convenient store and throw our clothes in it. We'll deal with it later."

Blake acknowledged Yang's plan, the two keeping silent as they approached their room. A room where Ruby and Weiss have been alone for several hours. Her stomach curled thought of what could have transpired, but Weiss, and definitely Ruby, would have text her to stay far, far away. The small disheartened thought fleeted through her mind as she noticed whenever she was in the presence of the new couple that they would be uncharacteristically detached for two people who supposedly liked each other. The rare times Yang has seen them be affectionate was immediately canceled as soon as the two noticed her. It's not like she could blame them. If Yang was in Ruby's shoes, she would be shied away from romantics in front of family. "Blake, what's Ruby and Weiss like when I'm not around?" she whispered.

"What brought that up?" Blake answered with her own question.

"You're my sentry, Blake, considering Ruby doesn't like doing anything around me. I just want to know she's being treated right."

The Faunus replied in her hushed tone. "Umm... they're very cute. Weiss is a feisty one, but Ruby knows how to handle the ice princess very well. She has her charm that seems to melt Weiss' heart, who is more than gracious for your sister's love, more so than she likes to express. I assure you, Ruby may have had a hard time opening up Weiss, but they are as lovey and kissy as they should be. They also still bicker like crazy."

Yang smiled to the thought that everything was normal between them, especially since they started wearing each other's emblems around their necks. Yang wished she had the idea first for Blake and herself, but if that was the tipping point for Weiss to embrace Ruby's love, she'd let it slide. All that mattered was that Ruby was happy and the accidental walk-in didn't cause some sort of stunted relationship growth. With the dorm a few feet away, Yang silenced herself.

Yang opened the door as Blake gradually entered, putting her skills to use, not making a sound as her boots meshed against carpet. The blonde blinked on impact towards Weiss' bed, only to have herself hard to look away from the scene. Blake was making her way towards the bathroom until Yang tugged her vest, pointing towards the sleeping duo. The Faunus rolled her eyes and gave into her girlfriend's wish. With more careful steps, Blake moved toward the ridiculous bunk bed, lighting Yang with a squeal that she almost couldn't contain. Weiss slept on her side, a relaxed expression in her blue nightie as cuddling behind her was Ruby, in her rosy pajamas, whose hand was cradling the heiress'. The leader' face buried in the back of Weiss' head, hinting at the pleasantness of it all.

Yang didn't want to tear herself away from the image, but Blake had already turned around, the blonde brushing away the dark hairs to get one last look at Ruby. "Y _ou go, Little Sis,_ " Yang thought before the door closed behind them. Blake grabbed a plastic bag under the sink, throwing the soiled garments in that need special attention to be dealt with later. With both basically naked, Yang suggested a shower, Blake concurring as it would be harder the fall asleep feeling so grimy. Blake offered her to sit at the corner seat, the Faunus aiding the blonde in every fashion.

When they were together in the shower, it would be usually getting dirty while getting clean. Yang was disappointed to know she had to play patient while Nurse Belladonna had to give the injured a sponge bath. It wasn't about the missed sexy time, she just didn't like to feel helpless, offering to wash as much of herself as she could, even taking the duties of scrubbing Blake's back. Casual exchange was had, Yang naturally still poking Blake's buttons.

"How red would your face be if you still kept those feelings bottled up and never took that leap?" Yang ribbed the Faunus as she was washing her hair.

A long pause of either Blake not wanting to answer the obvious baited question or ignoring it completely, but then Blake replied in a way that Yang didn't expect. "I would probably faint from all the blood rushing to my face. There's a reason I kissed you out of the blue. You're a beautiful person, Yang. I would argue on the inside more than the outside."

Eyes widened at the surprise response, the jest responded with sincerity that made Yang feel remorseful. She loved to tease her girlfriend as much as she could, the Faunus able to dish it back whenever she crossed a line is what made them compatible. If Blake were to be so honest, the blonde resolved to be forthright as well. "I-I would probably be a little shy taking my clothes off around you. I always thought you were cute, but umm... but if we weren't together, I'd be bashful, flustered even to look at you."

"The flustered Yang. It's like the eighth wonder of the world."

"Keep compliments up like that and I'm sure you'll see it." Blake and Yang enjoyed the rest of their bath in candid conversation. The brawler always learning something new about her girlfriend each time they spoke heart-to-heart. It may not have been the most ideal way about doing it, but their encounter with danger today forced appreciation from each other, making them closer and more determined to get back at Cardin together. With a final rinse down, the girls moved to drying the length of hair that probably woke up Ruby and Weiss with the annoying humming of the hairdryers. As Blake got Yang dressed and readjusted her bandage, the blonde was thinking of the revenge, finding it difficult to ride the borderline of justice and not getting expelled from school.

"Wait. I bet we can, no... that's going to draw blood. This is way harder than I thought I was going to be," Yang spoke, hand on chin, pondering the ways of revenge.

Blake was finishing her knot on her robe now that her girlfriend was dressed. "Don't think of it as hard. Think of it as you getting more creative with the limitations."

"I got it. We forget all of this and just have Nora break their legs," Yang joked, the Faunus grinning at the absurdity.

"If worst comes to worst, we'll recruit others, but I think you could agree that this is our project," the amber orbs lighting up from the couples project that awaited them. The two flirting without words was common enough at this point, Blake acknowledging the blonde wanted some affection and placed a well deserved, impassioned kiss on her lips. Yang was always one to test the waters, hand sliding up the firm leg of the Faunus, Blake stopping her as she hit the white trimming of her sleepwear.

"I know you're feeling it, but I also know you're tired and hurting. Let's keep it cat and mouse till we get those stitches out of you, alright?"

Normally this is where Yang would effortlessly woo Blake into a frenzy resulting in getting what she sought, but hearing the Faunus' genuine words of caring for her well-being made her see the bigger picture. Yang always knew where she stood in terms of beauty and deep down she lived up to the societal stereotypes in the past. She learned with experience how her partners saw her, but due to her assertive nature was able to ignore it. Being with Blake made her see how much she missed out on being seen as someone special, someone worth caring for, someone seeing past her appearance and valuing it more.

Yang hid her real feelings, making sure she hit her timing. "You said cat and mouse because you have cat ears, didn't you?" she said with a smile from ear to ear.

"Yeah. Puns are awesome, aren't they?" Blake stealing Yang's humor, the blonde's heart swelling with a new found fondness for her girlfriend. Blake was used as Yang's crutch to get her to bed, the Faunus thinking ahead and grabbing her own pillow for the blonde to cradle the thigh through the night. Blake slipped the covers over both of them, nestling herself under Yang's arm, the Faunus never looking so attractive.

Despite having a grave injury, Yang was far too awake from her feelings, the new intensity burning within her as she watched the Faunus sleep. " _I'm not going to let you down, Blake. You say I see past your ears, well, you see past my image. I never have to remind you stop staring at my gauntlets, something that... I didn't think I would cherish. Just wait, Blake, I'm going to create a revenge plan so good, Cardin won't ever mistreat a Faunus again._ "

* * *

Yang played sick the next morning, a few coughs and a weak voice was enough for Ruby to ignore her sister for the time being. Weiss, as expected, was skeptical, but her little sister was the first to rush her out as fast as possible. Yang and Blake couldn't stress enough that the less people that were to know about this would be best. Discretion is a must in espionage, and making two less people part of the experience would be easier to not get caught.

Blake was as stellar girlfriend as Yang predicted, bringing back notes, comfort food, and resting by her side as Yang was busy writing and rewriting the plan she was preparing for Team CRDL. The Faunus wanted to help more with the plan, but with school in full form, she knew she couldn't slack off for either of their sakes. Yang had Blake help in more of the acquisition of certain items, items that the Faunus had her suspicions about, but her girlfriend was convincing enough that it was crucial.

A few days later, Yang was able to get Ruby and Weiss out of the room, sitting Blake down with a whiteboard and going over the madness she had concocted. The Faunus stood both in awe and confusion as the mix of multicolored squiggles and poor drawings were starting to make her head spin. "And this is why the Rapier Wasps are crucial," Yang explained.

"If that little rumor wasn't revealed by Jaune himself, I would absolutely be against that part. If Dove is allergic to those things, we could actually kill him. You sure, he's not allergic?" Blake questioned.

"I have no clue, but if he was allergic, he probably wouldn't have been part of Cardin's plan in the first place. I would think someone like that would have a phobia and provide his 'fearless' leader something better."

"Fine. I will let this one slide this time, but you are making this too risky. I'll go down and attract a few into a box tomorrow during lunch," Blake rearing in the wild blonde. Her focus zeroed in on a small drawing the in the corner. A small pair of rabbit's ears next to a big C with swords running through it. "Yang, what's Cardin's part in all this?"

"Alright, alright. I know you said keep it between us, but I had an epiphany when looking out the window today. In the distance, I could see Velvet, again, getting laughed and ridiculed by students, Cardin's influence clearly manipulating some of the student body. My idea was we get Velvet to seduce him and keep that photograph as proof, checkmating him with his own tactics."

Yang was hoping for more of a congratulatory response, feeling so good of the idea when she came up with it that she deserved a medal, but Blake had a less than stellar reaction. "Yang... I love the idea, I really do, but there's is no way we can get Velvet to do this. If there is anyone who dislikes Cardin more than me, it's her. Also, she's incredibly shy and reserved. Could she even bring up the confidence to convincingly get him in a compromising position?"

"If we tell her our plan, I have zero doubts she'll join us and, as for the reserved thing, I remember a certain Faunus blushing and fumbling her words when she was first trying to be sexy." Yang bent down, running a few fingers through Blake's thick mane. Her girlfriend crossed her arms, embarrassed she could have been such a novice in front of Yang at some point. "We blackmail Cardin, he stops this for good. We'll talk with Velvet, I'll show her some moves, and a few of yours."

Blake couldn't resist the large grin spreading across her face, Yang's heart beating faster as she saw the confidence in her plan clicking with her girlfriend. The Faunus turned, amber eyes secure and trusting in the blonde. "At least I know you haven't been wasting time in here. This is actually as planned out as one of your dates. I don't know what that says about you."

Yang let out a small laugh to Blake's dry humor. "I commit to things I love. I love you, but I also am very fond of some old fashioned revenge. This is a pretty sweet combo. You think we can have all of the items by the end of the week?"

"Yeah. Don't worry about it. We talk to Velvet together, though. I think I can pry her from her team for a bit after dinner if you want her reply as soon as possible," Blake offered.

"You are the best collaborator in a revenge scheme ever," Yang cupping Blake's face, landing a large smooch on her lover's lips. As grim as the situation they were in was getting, there was some joy into having a partner in crime as Yang was figuring it out. In a brief flash, she ran through the people she interacted with in the past, none of them would have the backbone, conviction, or trust that Blake has put into Yang. The powerful confined lust only grew in her, knowing her stitches were a dam ready to burst once removed.

* * *

The end of the week couldn't have come faster, especially to Yang who's sickness was manufactured, forcing the perfectly healthy person to stay in her room when she was feeling almost one hundred percent. Blake had to constantly remind her that part of a good cover is playing the part, Yang hanging off every word as her girlfriend scouted team CRDL, getting their routines down, figuring out when they were alone the most. When Blake brought back all the data she needed, Yang set the plan into action.

With the temperatures rising, it wasn't uncommon for students to have their windows fully open to air out the stuffy heat from their dorm rooms, Blake finding it too easy as Yang was explaining part one of the plan. "Seriously, just replace his hair glue with this industrial adhesive?"

"Yeah. I was even able to tint it to the similar color of his normal cream. I know this is going to take forever, but I'll be outside their room setting up the recording. Hopefully he screams. If he runs out, though, that's a few thousands hits on the internet for this kind of gem," Yang gleefully explained, Blake rolling her eyes as she turned and scaled the wall to the boy's bedroom. A few careful peaking past the curtain and Blake disappeared behind it, signaling Yang to hobble back to her post. Her girlfriend was taking longer than expected, Yang anticipating this from how thick the viscosity was of the hair glue. As the blonde was taping a few small cameras and mics outside the door, the Faunus appeared, a wide smile across her face, sensing that her girlfriend was now seeing her side of this plan.

The two went back in their room ready to rise the next day for the next phase of their plan. It was time sensitive, but not impossible to pull off. "Do you really think a simple magazine is going to be enough of a distraction?"

"He's a seventeen year old boy. A photo of a girl in a bikini would hold his attention. I see the way Sky stares whenever Pyrrha and I bend over. It's repulsive, but enough for me to take a good guess he's going to get distracted with whatever you bought. What's going to be hard is what comes after. Sky can't dilly dally if we want Dove in his room alone. Cardin and Russel should be out, though, long enough to spring the Rapier Wasps on him."

"If they are still alive, I don't know how long those things last without food and water. Couldn't poke too big of holes in the box neither," Blake added.

"Even if they're weak, the second they smell the red sap, they should become a ravenous bunch of vicious insects," Yang pointed out, reassuring that her plan would work.

"Oh my gosh. Blake! Yang! You have got to see this!" a loud shriek coming down from the cafeteria. For a half-second, Yang thought her plan was being discovered until she connected the voice with the face. The spunky redhead from Team JNPR was practically somersaulting her way towards the couple, knocking a few elbows with the other students at their seats. Yang had to back away from Nora almost shoving her scroll in her face. "Just take a look at Russel!"

Yang and Blake taking a look back, the image focusing, revealing a job well done. Not only was Russel able to get he hands stuck through his mohawk, but even a comb and parts of his scalp were in the mess. The mixture of both embarrassment and anger resonating from his face, annoyed by the few cameras capturing the humiliation. Yang couldn't have seen her plan working out that well, having to hide her pride as she was acting for Nora. "Oh man, looks like someone is certainly having a bad hair day," snickers flowing freely.

"I know, right. He's going to the hospital. It turns out there's nothing at Beacon that can dissolve the glue. He may even be like this till tomorrow. I got to show Jaune. Oh, there he is. Jaune! Jaune, come here," Nora already spreading the rumor windmill like wildfire, Yang guessing within the hour everyone in the school would know.

"The enthusiasm from that girl scares me sometimes, but you heard the news. Russel officially won't be in the room. That's one down," Blake said, the sinsiterness of a well planned out revenge seeping out in her rascally grin.

"And three to go," Yang finished, an equally baleful smile curing her lips as he gave a gentle peck of satisfaction to her girlfriend. They finished breakfast quickly, giving themselves breathing room to follow Dove and Sky to their training area. Seeing the pieces fall into place, it was time for them to set the rest of the plan into action. Blake was having to pull double duty because of Yang's injured leg, but she was able to coat Team CRDL's drapes with red sap, liberally applying the sticky mess to the fabric. Making sure the jar was empty, she doused the rest onto the floor, guaranteeing the Rapier Wasps would enter.

Yang was with the only thing she could do at the moment, flip through a very lewd pornographic magazine, seeing as the hard part of opening Sky's locker was easier than expected. Turns out having your password be 1234 was not in his best interest. The blonde was slightly disappointed as she had spent all night learning the basics of breaking into the rocket lockers. After done looking through the airbrushed nakedness, she leisurely placed it, no doubt the cover alone would have the boy stop and gawk. Sealing the locker as she left it, she waited for Blake outside the locker room. The Faunus showed up promptly. "Red sap is everywhere. The next part is all up to you."

"Great. The wasps alright?"

"I heard them buzzing. Adding a little fire under their stingers should send them into a frenzy."

"Great. I know I shouldn't be asking this, but do you think you can keep yourself hidden in one of the curtains for like thirty minutes?"

"I have a few stories to share with you one day. One in which I was waiting for about thirty-six hours in one location due to bad intel. I'll be fine," Blake assured. As Yang walked away, the Faunus gave a bold slap to the blonde's butt, Yang flinching at her girlfriend's spiritedness. As she was leaving, thinking that a quick stop to their room to remove the stitches prematurely wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

Yang kept her scroll in her palm, not wanting to accidentally miss a text from Blake. She went to the tree that housed the insects, grabbing the discreet cardboard box that was humming louder with each gentle shake. Yang noticed that the small holes Blake had created were bigger, little chew marks around them. The wasps couldn't wait to escape, trying their own prison break before getting exhausted from lack of food and water. Yang just hoped she was fast enough to punch through the cardboard and not be stung, expecting the insects the seek out the sweetness that they can smell.

A mechanical vibration came from her other hand, a text from Blake saying " _Launching missile in three, two..._ ". Yang appreciated the humor as she glanced towards the sky, the little blue flame and smoke streak floating across Beacon. Yang didn't know how far the locker would go, but she told Blake to punch in 9999 as the destination. If anything, she knew there wouldn't be any more fuel for a return trip, leaving only one last member left before they could attack the big bird.

Counting down backwards from thirty, Yang assumed Dove would be in his room. With a quick strike, she blew a hole into the side of the box. With another quick reflex, threw the box up to the window, the swarm having to ride Yang's kinetic force. A large black cloud of hungry Rapier wasps descended on the room. She may have been on the ground, but she could hear the faint sounds of panic and pain coming from the open sheets. Finding her job completed, she grabbed the box and popped her semblance, reducing it to ashes, letting them scatter as she casually made her way back to their dorm room.

Blake was already sitting on the bed, a book in her hand as she leisurely was waiting on Yang. "Judging from the big smile on your face, Dove has been successfully treated to his own plan."

"Yeah. I can't believe they were going to do that to Pyrrha and us. Savages, am I right?" Yang sarcastically joined in, plopping herself next to her girlfriend, poking her nose into the book. "The evidence should be gone. Those Rapier Wasps were all over the curtain, and since I destroyed their nest, they will no doubt be looking for a new one. In a couple hours, Cardin should be alone in his room."

"I'll send Velvet a text. You sure all she'll need is her school uniform?" Blake questioned.

"Yeah. I know I haven't tried seducing you in that thing, but trust me. A few tweaks here and there and Cardin will be drooling over her, rabbit ears and all. How did it go with Sky? Smooth, I assume," Yang pondered.

"Actually, I was scared he was about to run to the restroom with it. I saw him making his quick escape in his mind and quickly stuffed him in the locker. No class that one, didn't even bother to appreciate the articles," Blake dryly said, Yang picking up on her distaste for everything about the situation.

"You hated buying it..."

"Never make me do it again." Blake put down her book to sternly give Yang a look of disapproval. "I like fiction, not fake." Yang smirked at the immediate objection to it all. She didn't need to tease anymore, the words behind her negative comments was enough to see the positive, how much she loved the real Yang, inside and out. The blonde gave a small kiss on the cheek and returned to grazing over the book with her girlfriend. She may have had no clue at times when she randomly peers into whatever Blake's reading, but it was always interesting, the deepness of the elegant writing making her appreciate Blake's mystique.

A knock was at their door, Yang sprung up as Blake placed her book on the shelf. The brown-haired Faunus walked meekly into the room, hand caressing her forearm as she sat opposite the couple on one of the desk chairs. "He-hey girls, how's your weekend been so far?"

"You know, just lazing about like we usually do," Yang lying to cover up the rest of the mischievous nature they had been up to. "Since you're here, I think it's safe to say you're ready to end today with a bang."

The rabbit Faunus waved her arms in extreme disapproval of what was said. "Wait, you girls didn't say anything about sleeping with Cardin. I-I won't do that..."

Blake stepped in to crowd control the situation. "Please excuse my girlfriend's poor choice of words. The plan is the same. You seduce Cardin, we get a few pictures and some video, we blackmail him, and he leaves you and other Faunus alone. You don't even have to kiss him."

"We're sorry if he does, though. I'll buy you as much mouthwash as you want to get rid of that taste," Yang buttoned her own apology with humor that Velvet was taking a liking too.

The big rabbit ears relaxed as her excitement was dissipating. "Alright, but I've never had to do this before. I'm far too scared to try and act sexy, especially for him. I have a feeling that I'll walk in and it will be another disaster, just more ammo he can throw at me. I can hear it now. Him screaming how Faunus should know their place and not fall for those more superior to them."

Yang looked over to her girlfriend, a frown of harmony present as she was agreeing with the thoughts of her Faunus brethren. "Wouldn't even put it past him to boast of how he'd be the obvious choice. Only he thinks of himself so highly," Blake said through gritted teeth.

"I know this is new, different, and a little frightening, but take it from me. If you walk in with confidence, it will be Cardin bowing to you begging for attention. You're a very pretty Faunus, Velvet. Anyone would be lucky to have you. With that being said, a few well phrased sentences and the right amount of skin will make you dominant in that room and have Cardin where we want him. What do you say? Think you can learn a few tricks with an hour?"

The Faunus averted her gaze, her lap being a more comfortable place for her to stare as she contemplated the situation. Her hands fidgeted, grinding the fabric of the plaid skirt as she was thinking. Yang was holding her breath because if Velvet didn't accept, it was going to be Blake that takes her role. From a tactical standpoint, it would be too suspicious. And from a safety standpoint, Blake was about a snarky comment away from breaking Cardin's windpipe. A cooler head and a more tolerate heart was needed. Yang exhaled to Velvet's nervous nod, determined now to turn her into a femme fatale Faunus.

Yang doesn't get to play teacher often, Ruby being too smart and resourceful not needing her big sister's help as much as she aged. Velvet, though, was a doughy mind that she had fun shaping until the sun set. Every lewd trick she used to have guys do her favors was being coached, the rabbit Faunus picking it up fast, but she wasn't so sure she can boost a girl's confidence up in the time, Yang instead advising she use the shy angle. A demure blush instead of a haughty one, Blake commenting that Cardin would like it more because of how alpha he is amongst his group of friends. With everything the couple could teach her, they left it up to the nerves of the Faunus, waiting outside Team CRDL's window as they hit their first roadblock.

"Okay, I should have taken into account that they'd probably shut the window after a swarm of Rapier Wasps entered the room," Yang sorrowfully commented.

"Wouldn't be surprised if they even boarded it up. I'll send a quick text to Velvet making sure she opens it," Blake pulled her scroll out, rapidly typing out a message.

"Tell her it's a strategy. There's a nice breeze out and it would make her hair flow," the blonde added. Minutes later, a text from Velvet said she was outside Cardin's room, Yang hopping on Blake's back, the Faunus expertly scaling the wall with Gambol Shroud as they were picking their way to the top. They stopped below the window, hoping every second that they weren't getting a text message that Velvet was in the room, Cardin hopefully not putting up much of a fight as the only excuse that would let her in is saying the printer is broken and Professor Oobleck had spilled coffee on her paper, immediately requesting a new one.

Yang wanted to listen in, but didn't want to bang her head against glass if Velvet suddenly pushed the panes open. The two gripped onto the black strands of Blake's weapon, scaling the academy with the sickle end firmly planted into the brick. Yang held her scroll at the ready, not wanting to miss a second once Velvet started, hoping to get the money shot before the rabbit Faunus gets in too far. The rustling of the trees below was broken when the windows flew open, Yang almost dropping her scroll from the sudden action.

"Way to trip and open the window," came the condescending voice of their target, Yang rolling her eyes at the overly superior tone.

"I-I'm sorry, it's just these are old shoe laces and I must have caught when I stepped. If anything, the room smells like poison. You sure I shouldn't leave this open?"

"Don't tell what to do, but you have a point. The chemicals were building up. I thought the school would have had more sense when they were eradicating the pests."

Yang and Blake moved stealthily under the window, positioning their cameras for a better view of the room. Velvet had already moved to the bed, raising her leg in a very unladylike way, presumably flashing her bright, innocent whites to Cardin. "Get off Russel's bed. I didn't say you could sit," he barked.

The rabbit Faunus immediately obeyed, the confidence in her last attempt shaken. Yang may have been looking through a four inch screen, but she was sure, she saw Cardin blush, finding it hard to not have a normal reaction to seeing a pretty girl's underwear. Velvet stood by the printer as Cardin sat next to it, impatiently waiting for the Faunus to leave. Yang was losing hope in her plan until she saw the timid girl start to unbutton her school jacket, the tan vest prominently lifting her breasts, giving a nice slick show for Cardin. "Wa-warm weather, am I right?"

Yang almost banged her head against brick with the ridged delivery, the blonde's mood bouncing back as Velvet enacted a classic drop. Her hands slipped and a few of the pens on Cardin's desk fell over. Before Cardin could say anything, the Faunus was already on it. "I-I'm sorry. I'll pick those up."

For an inordinate amount of time, Velvet took her time on her hands and knees, making sure to reveal as much cleavage to her oppressor, their target easily being swayed by the Faunus' allure. As she was studying Cardin, Yang wondered if all men looked at her that way as well, finding an unrestrained gaze to be quite obscene. Velvet got up, but it seemed her natural clumsiness couldn't be avoided, her slipping on a pen cap and colliding into Cardin in his seat. Yang didn't know how she was feeling about her plan as the rabbit Faunus was making such intimate contact, but then the magic happened. As Velvet was on top of Cardin, she saw the free blush rush to his face, her cleavage almost directly on top of him. Yang could have sworn the young man was going in for a kiss, but already had the footage they needed and screamed, "And cut!"

Cardin jumped out of his seat along with Velvet, Blake hoisting the couple into the bedroom. "What is going on? How long have you two been out there?"

"Long enough to capture a certain prejudiced man enjoying the company of a Faunus. Velvet, you can step away from that creep and feel free to cover up," the rabbit Faunus not hesitating as she screened herself from the boy terror. "I now present my director of photography, Blake, who I'm sure has the most incriminating of photos," Yang announced, Blake sifting through her scroll, presenting Cardin with himself caught with a Faunus on his lap. The horror running through Cardin was present on his face, even him trying to spin it differently was coming out haphazardly.

"You know this means nothing. Who do you think is going to believe you? I can easily say that it's doctored."

"Sure you want to risk it, though, Cardin?" Yang countered. "Sure you won't think Mommy and Daddy won't flip when word gets around their son is a Faunus-lover? Think you won't lose some respect amongst your friends or community? Think it's really worth all that avoidable hassle?"

Cardin stood there, his face showing the cogs hard at work, knowing how hard he's been checkmated. "Fine. Name your price."

"I don't want your money. I want the photos of Blake and I deleted. And when I say photos, I mean all of the photos, cloud services and all," Yang cunningly told the man. Cardin made his way to his laptop, running through any services he might have used in the past to backup the photos. Yang felt Blake take her hand, the Faunus interlacing her fingers as they stood together, their victory over Cardin strengthening their bond.

Cardin swiveled back in his chair, face annoyed, indigo eyes sharpened as they met Yang's. "There, that should be all of them. Now, can I see your scrolls and delete your stuff?"

The blonde swiftly went past the man, placing her hand on the laptop, patting the top. "Just one more thing." Yang reached back and pounded her fist into the laptop, screen shattering and a few keys popping off from the impact.

"Hey!" Cardin reacted, Blake silencing his further shouting with Gambol Shroud's sharp point digging into his throat. "That wasn't part of the deal," his voice toned down.

"It wasn't, but consider it insurance," Yang walking with conviction, facing Cardin head on. "We can never know if you kept your word. You're a very deceitful person. Unless you want to lose your parents trust fund to help buy you a new computer, I hope that you were honest. As for the photos, we're keeping them. We will never show them to anyone on one condition, you leave Velvet and other Faunus alone on campus. I don't care what you do in your private life outside school, but the bullying stops today." Yang grabbed him by the scruff of his collar. "Have I made myself clear?"

Cardin didn't back down, seemingly a lot more headstrong than the couple thought. As Yang let the silence in the room unsettle the situation, there was sparks being thrown between herself and the warrior. She understood what the hate Blake talks about looks like, the true hate from the indifference the Faunus have been struggling with her entire life. Cardin let out a low affirmative under his breath, coupled with his body's language was enough to suffice the three. Blake released Cardin and the three left the room.

The usually soft-voiced Faunus was the first to break the comfortable silence. "So, I guess I see why you were so adamant on including me, Blake."

"It was Yang's idea, but it hurts watching you get all the brunt of the impact when I'm able to conceal it," Her ears giving a twitch under the bow as she confided with Velvet. "I'm sorry that I never rose to your side before all this. It feels like I was betraying our people."

"No, don't feel bad. If I were in your shoes, I probably would have done the same. Think any Faunus would try and hide who they are these days just to go down to the store and not get stares. I wish more humans were like you, Yang. Not very many would actually fight our battles," Velvet endearingly said.

"Comes with the territory when you're dating one. The first of many battles I'll be fighting with my girlfriend," Yang rubbing Blake's arm brashly, giving a heavy peck through the dark locks. Blake nudged the blonde's stomach, embarrassed to have such flirtatious actions displayed in front of Velvet.

The rabbit Faunus departed, a little more pep in her step as she headed to her room. As the two were getting closer to their own room, the feeling of victory was hit them, hands running freely as they teased one another with the rush of their triumph. Yang pushed open the door, slightly disappointed that Ruby and Weiss were on the bed, textbooks open, and notes strewn across the spread. Expecting such an intrusion, the couple toned down their loving actions, not wanting to sicken Ruby with Yang being so salacious.

The two stood in the middle of the room, violet irises meeting amber as unspoken words of fondness and gratitude were exchanged. "You really stepped up today. More than I could have imagined from a human. You have a really big heart, Yang. Almost as big as your..."

"My breasts. I've heard that one before," Yang interrupted.

"I was actually going to say your eyes, but sure, I guess both could work," Blake coyly purred, brushing the blonde bangs from the eyes she adored so much. Yang felt a tightness in her chest, a blissful feeling that an experienced lover like her thought wouldn't occur, but the Faunus was having a new deeper effect. "It was always looming in the back of my mind when we started dating, scared that the challenge would be too great, but I'm glad I put my trust in you."

"I told you. If part of being in a relationship with you is to retaliate against prejudiced jerks like Cardin, then I don't see the negatives from your perspective. I'm always on your side, Blake, even if we occasionally disagree with how the situation should be dealt with."

A thin smile formed around the Faunus' face with Yang's response. "If you're copacetic about it, then I think this will work. Besides... I'm crazy about you too. Think I might want to keep you around."

Amber eyes half-lidded as Blake's gaze was having more of an arousing effect, not on her libido, but her heart. Yang opened her mouth, attempting to say anything, only letting a few bursts of air escape as she was at a loss for words. The blush grew on her cheeks as she was vexed to find anything meaningful to convey to her girlfriend. Blake immediately caught on, surprised at her lover stumbling over her charm for once.

The Faunus couldn't resist. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

As if jokes were her native dialect, Yang got out, "mo-more like Faunus has m-my heart."

The exchange had them both in a flustered mess, a red tint growing on Blake's face at the sincerity of Yang's dopey admittance. Nervous giggles that were impossible to stifle had the Faunus place her hand over her mouth, Yang never been so satisfied with being so amateur in her game.

A shrill voice came behind her, Yang forgetting that they weren't alone in the room during their amusement. "Can you girls please do that elsewhere? Even I'm finding your back and forth more nauseating than usual."

Yang was one that when poked, will poke back and with vengeance. She turned to face her verbal aggressor, the scowl as annoyed as ever. "Weiss, I'm about one neck nuzzling, a few sweet nothings, and a lengthy kiss from kicking both of you out and having sex on your bed till it breaks. If you give us some privacy, you can avoid going mattress shopping tomorrow. Your move, Ice Queen."

Yang knew she struck a chord, a disdainful breath of air came out before she was silenced by the hand of Ruby. "No, Weiss. I want to sleep in our bed tonight, and honestly every night. Just let this one go." Ruby directed her attention to Yang. "You'll be quiet, well quiet-ish, over there, agreed?"

"Yeah. Thanks Sis," Yang taking Blake by the hand, feeling the fatigue of running around all day as their bodies flopped on the sheets. The Faunus curled up to Yang, taking in her scent as she cradled herself into the blonde. Yang turned over, her back towards the other two, trying to keep the conversation between them.

"You weren't really going to kick them out. I saw that look in your eye," Blake stripping Yang of her tough veneer.

The blonde loudly whispered back. "Yeah, I know, but they are absolutely getting kicked out tomorrow at noon. We'll order some pizza and stay in bed all day. I can't hold it back for you anymore. I can't describe it, but something about all this sort of redefined what I think about you, what I think about love."

"How so?"

"Love is more than just seeing the person for everything they are and embracing it. It's also seeing what they see in you, improving what they value about you everyday and fixing the parts they don't. You value me like no other, Blake. I just hope that one day you see the same as me."

"I already do," Blake said, untying her bow, cat ears fluttering as she kissed Yang. The blonde pushed Blake back as she started to feel hot.

"I gave Ruby my word. We'll be nice tonight so we can be naughty tomorrow," A rascally grin spread across both of their faces, their drives hitting their limit with Yang's injury putting her out of commission. It was too early to fall asleep, the two choosing to cuddle as they were overhearing Weiss and Ruby interact, Yang feeling relief as she could hear the love between her sister and the heiress bleed through their flouting comments. The blonde wrapped her arms around Blake, securing the Faunus in her loving embrace as they were getting drunk with lust from their eyes. " _This one might just be the one. I'm not going to let you go, Blake._ "

* * *


	13. Ruby: Scythe and Sword

Getting the pleasantries out of the way quick. Thank you guys again for many new follows and favs. Probably will reach over 400 but wouldn't mind hitting 420 (just blaze) just for the joke's sake. Like promised, a White Rose chapter and a more balanced focus of each couple and person. For those who took the time to read this, please leave in the review if you like the new way I'm dividing up the chapters. I liked giving each character their own chapters at first, but when I was writing these next few batches of chapters I found that it was important to change focus and see different perspectives. In general it will flip between the two people in a relationship, so half Ruby/half Weiss with this one. Again thank you for reading hit that follow/fav and check out Bakki as he will have some White Rose love in the future.

Ruby: Scythe and Sword

A warm spring day was in full effect around the Town of Vale. Although the rising temperatures were making it apparent that summer was right around the corner, Ruby and Weiss still had plenty of school before they could feel the freedom of their first year complete. The Beacon campus was beautiful, the couple taking in the breathtaking landscape by studying outside, but that wasn't the only reason.

Since Weiss had saved Ruby from The White Fang, the relationship had taken a far more physical turn for the better, at least in Ruby's mind. She couldn't speak for her girlfriend, but she was sure having fun as they were figuring out how to make out. Ruby found Weiss' dominance in their sessions nice, but finding it hard to regain control once she had lost it. The leader knew it was both to blame the gratifying sensations of the love making itself and releasing of the heiress' pent up emotions that were making her submissive, Ruby only wanting to return the favor. Still, even Weiss knew their grades would slip if their gallivanting around the dorm room when Yang and Blake weren't present would cause them to lose their class rankings. Ruby suggested they spend their time in public, neither of them ready for such display of affection, forcing them to concentrate.

The leader found her idea to be working quite nicely as the two were speeding through some of Vale's more boring history, the subject, that if left in their dorm room would only have them buried in their faces instead of their textbooks. Weiss was dictating lines from the book that Ruby was jotting down as quickly as she could in her notebook. The couple found a loving and effective way of going about this as Weiss was resting her head on her girlfriend's lap as the leader was propped up against a tree.

"Grape me," Weiss commanded. Ruby sifted through the fruit platter her girlfriend had bought, plucking a morsel and feeding it to her. "I think that about does it, unless you want to look for the random minutia questions that Professor Port likes to throw in there to shake my A plus down to an A."

Ruby was finishing writing down Weiss' last bullet point as she responded. "No. I'm kind of out of it. I'm thinking about calling it a day unless you think we should do more."

"We'll see, but right now, we deserve a break. Hand me the canisters. I'll pour us some more tea," Weiss requested, Ruby grabbing the bottle and handing it over. The browning-gold liquid pouring into the tall glass was making her salivate. It did make her feel guilty, though. Ruby didn't know if this was the power of money or Weiss' imagination, but she was treated to so many things by her girlfriend and lavishly taken out on dates she was able to plan. Ruby, who is used to controlling a team, felt that her skills were useless when in a relationship with the heiress.

Ruby took her glass and several large gulps to satisfy her thirst. She hated admitting it, but money could buy better tea. A small blow to her pride knowing that Weiss was able to procure this. "Ruby, is something the matter?"

The leader was brought out of her trance, not realizing she was depressingly staring at her empty glass as she was mulling over the situation in her mind. "No-nothing. What brought that about?"

"For starters, you were silently staring at your finished glass as if you were trying to tell it it's son died in battle, and you normally pour a pound of sugar into your tea before even taking a sip from it, let alone drink the whole thing," Weiss pointed out. The leader didn't know whether to be impressed or concerned at the over-examination by her girlfriend. She averted her gaze, not knowing if to come clean about her role in the relationship being too childish of a concern, leaning towards dismissing it to not rattle the smooth sailing it has been since the hostage situation.

Weiss' slender hand grasped onto Ruby's, the leader forcing herself to look into her girlfriend's concerned face. "Girlfriend talk, is there anything bothering you? You've been out of sync when it's just the two of us."

Ruby knew she couldn't lie to Weiss, not for any reason. "It's just that... I don't feel like I'm making an effort in the events that happen in our relationship?"

Weiss' eyebrow raised from the curious answer. "What do you mean, Ruby? We're together, like literally almost all the time. You're certainly present whenever I need you."

"It's not about the actual of me being here. It's more of I feel that I haven't put any input into what we do. You decide so much and I go along with it because I love the things I do with you. Like today, for example, you thought of and bought the food, used your expensive stash of tea to keep us cool, and supplied the blanket we're using to sit on. All I did was pick the location. I just want that opportunity every once in awhile to be so selfless and plan something for you," Ruby confided.

Weiss looked offended as Ruby explained her predicament, the leader almost ready to take everything back until the heiress beat her to it. "Thank you for being honest with me." The short-haired girl was confounded that Weiss would have such a positive reaction to her complaints. "I know I can be a little, for a lack of a better term, bossy at times. The sickening realization that I'm turning into my father is grotesque. Ruby, never feel that you don't have a voice here. We're a team in multiple ways and if there's anything that we can crossover from being partners is that we need to let the other take charge every once in awhile."

Ruby thought herself a fool to not see the connections of being on a team with Weiss and being a girlfriend to her, knowing how easily they fluidly exchange their position to fit the situation is one aspect that makes them great partners. "So, what does that mean for us?"

"Ruby, I want you to come up with the next date. We're free next weekend and I don't see a reason we can't enjoy ourselves with a full day of fun. I know I can be controlling and need to get snapped out of the routine before it snowballs," Weiss confessed. Ruby leaned over and gave a generous peck on the heiress' lips. "I'm sure that is a very enthusiastic yes?"

"You bet. You won't be disappointed."

"I'm sure to be impressed. You're getting better at this everyday. Don't think I didn't notice you finishing your showers quicker so I have more hot water to finish washing my hair," the heiress said, running through the short locks of her partner, twisting the red tips before letting go. "Maybe you can spare one extra minute in there. Your hair is greasier than usual," Weiss commented, Ruby unsure if her girlfriend noticed the backhanded nature of the remark.

Not wanting to dampen the lighted mood with more studying, Weiss decided to study a different day, the glorious spring day semi-wasted by not enjoying its splendor. They headed towards Vale's downtown for some window shopping and a full meal outside the school. Ruby couldn't help but be sidetracked as the two walked around together as she never had planned something to this scale. Most of Ruby's attempts were small. A rose placed on the nightstand for when Weiss wakes up, memorization of her girlfriend's favorite teas and how she likes them, washing their sheets so Weiss doesn't have to.

Ruby twisted the snowflake necklace around in her fingers as she thought, the crimson-clad rose necklace that hung around Weiss' neck glistening when the sun's rays would hit it. " _The only real grand gesture of my affection was this necklace that I ironically wear now. I so love that she wears my symbol, but again it was her idea that supersedes mine because it's better. I have no clue what I'm going to do for Weiss, but it's going to be better than this necklace. It has to be._ "

* * *

The end of the week was upon her and Ruby was not a step closer to figuring out what her and Weiss were going to do. She would find herself sketching plans like battle strategies on paper when class was getting boring, the pressure of wanting to impress Weiss the drive of her anxiety. School and training was enough to keep her preoccupied temporarily until the weekend was only a day away. For once, she was glad she was the only one was in the room, giving her some quiet so her brain could think.

Ruby had her face buried in her pillow, smashing her face whenever she half-baked an idea and deemed it too unworthy for the heiress. " _I know. I can take her out to the restaurant she likes... oh, who am I kidding. That has to be a five-star restaurant. I've only passed by it once, but I know there were valets and formal wear. I don't even have a dress for the occasion. Maybe music._ " Ruby brought out her scroll, searching the internet for Weiss' favorite artists. The leader's heart sank with the prices for some of the tickets, even the 'nosebleed' sections were rather pricey. " _Everything she likes is expensive. No surprise there, I guess. I know there's cheaper ways to impress Weiss, but I want this to be special. Since my first impressions are less than spectacular, I would like this to break the cycle and my first date that I plan not end up in some sort of disaster. Maybe it's time to take a loan from the bank of Pyrrha. Hopefully she can get me out of this jam with a few hundred Lien for a job._ "

As Ruby was accepting her monetary defeat, the room door opened. The leader peaked out from her tent-like bunk to see Yang alone. Ruby couldn't help but notice the lack of Faunus. "Hey Yang. Where's Blake?"

The blonde was surprised to see she wasn't entering an empty room. "Hey Ruby. Blake went to go hang out with Velvet. She said something about giving the Faunus some courage. She said I didn't need to be there, so I came back."

"Oh, that's nice. It's weird seeing you without her. She's almost like your shadow," Ruby joked, Yang smirking back at the jest. The leader jumped off the bed, ready to head across the hall.

"Where are you going?" Yang asked.

"I'm going to see if Pyrrha is in. I need some Lien for a date and she was more than willing to help last time." As Ruby reached for the doorknob, she felt a pull on the hood of her cloak.

"Ruby, you can't be putting yourself in debt for every little thing you do for Weiss. She told me how much you spent on that necklace. If that was anyone else other than Pyrrha, you would be working for them in a far more unscrupulous fashion," Yang lectured.

Ruby turned, her cloak still in her sister's grasp. "But, Yang. I want this to go well. Everything Weiss likes seems to cost money, a lot of it."

"I know you're new to this whole dating scene, but not every date has to bankrupt you. I know it's embarrassing talking about this stuff with your big sister, but I could help you out with this," Yang offered. Ruby didn't like consulting anything romantic with her sister, the teasing from the conversation being too much for the young leader. However, the initial feeling in her gut subsided as she looked into her sister's face. There was no wicked smile that was hiding the many ways she would be ribbing Ruby. For once, she thought she was being seen as not just a little sister, the feeling of being thought of as an equal restored confidence in the blonde's intentions.

"OK, Yang, but what do I do? I don't think I can do the stuff you do with Blake. Weiss has built a refined taste because of her upbringing. How would I even go about getting around that?" Ruby questioned.

Yang let go of the cloak, motioning Ruby to her bunk beds. She brought out a mysterious case, the one that Ruby ignored because it didn't have snacks. As Yang popped up the locks, Ruby saw the treasure trove of alcohol that lined the insides. It wasn't a lot, but the blonde seemed to keep a few bottles for whenever Blake and her would drink around campus. Out of the many hard liquors, there was two fancy bottles, both darkened and the lettering in cursive.

"I can't be drinking this."

"Don't say anything until you try it." Yang uncorked the bottle, handing it off to her sister. "Some of this and some fancy cheese on the rooftops will do the trick with your girlfriend." Ruby inhaled the scent, the smell more pleasant that she thought it would be. It was fruity and heavy with spice, the aroma tickling her olfactory sense pleasantly. With no glass at hand, she pressed the bottle to her lips, taking the smallest of swigs. At first it wasn't terrible, until the taste of alcohol that hid behind the nice essence had the leader gag. She cupped her mouth and ran into the bathroom, scraping her tongue and rinsing thoroughly with water.

When she came back into the room, Yang had a cookie in her hand, Ruby inhaling it to get rid of the aftertaste. "I don't suppose I can ask you to suck it up and drink it?"

"Not even a little. If I try that, I'll be making a face the entire time. Weiss will pick up that I'm forcing myself to drink it instantly." Ruby took a seat on Blake's bed, head in her hands as she was continuing to talk. "I want this to be memorable and not in the disastrous kind of way."

Yang took a seat next to Ruby, offering her own wisdom. "I know you want to be the best for Weiss, but what makes a date memorable isn't anything material."

"But you take Blake out to restaurants, out to comedy clubs, even an Achieve Men concert. How are those not material?" Ruby countered.

"I'm not saying those aren't fun. They were great and I would do them all over again, but you want to know the best date I've had with Blake?" Ruby's ears intently listened as to what could be better than the time Yang was able to get the autograph of the author of ' _Ninjas of Love_ '. "She took me out one day to sit and watch a Faunus rally. It was me, her, and a couple cups of coffee sitting on a bench on a cool spring morning. Blake didn't participate for obvious reasons, but she wanted me to see a glimpse of what she was forced to do as a child, to see first hand the struggle of her people. I saw Faunus of every animal attribute, dog ears, lizard hands, whiskers, the list goes on. She brought me out of my world and into hers because she wanted me to see how she came to be and what matters to her most. I learned so much that day about her and hope to one day soon repay her with something that close to my heart. Find something that matters most to you, Ruby. Let Weiss learn about it, about you."

It didn't take long for Ruby to figure out what her favorite thing is in this world. The idea of sharing it with someone hadn't even occurred to her. A twinkle appeared in her eye, a fire ignited in her with the perfect idea. "I got it. Thank you, Yang!" Ruby fiercely hugging her sister with excitement she could barely contain.

"Do you need me to go buy some ingredients for whatever cookie you and her bake? Please tell me I need to go buy you cute aprons and chefs hats," Yang offered, a joking tone accompanying the statement. Ruby knew deep down the teasing would occur, but did pocket that idea for later.

"No, Yang. I actually have something I want to share with Weiss that's better than cookies."

*-Weiss-*

The white-haired girl was more than pleased with the impressive start Ruby had on the day of their date. The leader bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, fetching Weiss her breakfast and pressing her battle skirt. She wasn't expecting to be this doted upon, and honestly didn't like the feeling of her girlfriend beckoning to her will, but if this was Ruby's way to start off the date, she was going to keep her mouth shut for her sake.

Weiss sat on the bed, spooning her oatmeal as Ruby was giving a rundown of what she had to do before the date. "I know I should probably be making the food, but I barely can make a microwave meal let alone cook something special for you."

"I'm not going to blame you for focusing your attention elsewhere when you were growing up. At two you said?" Weiss reminding herself within a question.

"Yeah. Meet me in training room for our double date," Ruby happily announced, Weiss almost choking from her double-take at the statement.

"Dou-double date. So it's going to be us and who else?" Weiss inquired.

Ruby jumped off the bed, a broad smile that irritated the heiress as she stood so pleased with her idea. "You'll find out. It's someone very close to me." The short-haired girl placed a small kiss on Weiss' forehead, bolting out the room before the ice princess could further interrogate the matter. Even if the cheeriness of Ruby was getting on her nerves, she did have to admit the thoughtfulness of it all was endearing.

The back of her mind, though, was rattling with the thought of a double date, Weiss taking the logical guess of the person close to Ruby would be Yang with special guest star Blake as her plus one. " _I don't know why I'm getting all worked up about this. It's not like we all don't eat together on a regular basis. I guess the idea of going as couples instead as a team could change dynamics. Ruby is, for the most part, very professional when we're out in the field, the occasional peck or two given from a job well done. I'm also partially guilty of sneaking a kiss as sometimes I just can't help myself. It's when we're just by ourselves, off the clock, are we actually very intimate. I guess Ruby's tired of us having to hide from Yang all the time, her breaking out of her comfort zone so we can have a less awkward time as a couple. If she's taking that step, I'll take it with her._ "

Weiss spent the rest of the time prepping herself, anticipating the blonde's teasing with some quick quips of her own to counter. With Ruby already having ironed her skirt and jacket, Weiss was able to take her time on gussying up, looking more prim and proper for Ruby's date.

As two rolled around, Weiss headed towards the training area, methodically running through her own scenarios in her head. " _If Yang asks anything about the physical part, always comeback with we are far more sly than she imagines. Alright, I think I got it down. It is peculiar, though. Why would we be having our date in the training room? I wouldn't put it past Ruby to say a friendly sparing match between couples is romantic, maybe trying to prove herself to her sister in some way. It's a shame, though. We are wasting a day indoors._ "

Weiss opened the heavy doors to the training room, the large arena heavily darkened by the dark interiors, the luminescent white lights the lined it giving away the shapes to the place. Weiss found it awkwardly empty as she could hear her own footsteps echoing in the circular room as she walked towards the center ring. She saw her little red partner, frantically waving the heiress towards her. "On time as always. At least I can count on you being prompt."

"I do take pride in my arrival. Then again, being later than Yang and Blake to any appointment is an achievement," Weiss snappily said.

Ruby was confused as to what her comment was asked, "How do you mean? Course you would beat them, they aren't showing up today."

"So they canceled?" the heiress followed up.

"They were not the ones that were invited," Ruby answered, Weiss completely perplexed as to who could be more important than her sister.

"Then whom?" Weiss inquired. As the heiress asked the question, she realized she might have seen the answer. To her partner's side, cheekily hidden behind a picnic basket, was Crescent Rose folded up. Ruby brought out the slim metallic casing, covered by the length of her cloak, that housed her weapon. The leader popped the case and revealed Myrtenaster, solidifying Weiss' gut feeling, hurting as the dreadful realization was setting in.

"I brought Crescent Rose and Myrtenaster to join us. I wanted us to learn about each other's weapons, even how to properly wield them."

Hearing Ruby's sincerity in her response made the feeling all the more sickening. Weiss was having trouble swallowing the idea, her brain shutting down as the concept of having a date with her girlfriend and their weapons too absurd for her to handle. She noticed Ruby's mouth moving, but the only sound in her head was her conscious reminding her to not scream, ' _Is this a joke?_ '

"...and after that, I'd say we worked up an appetite enough to eat and..."

"Let me just stop you there, Ruby. I was in a hurry and didn't use the restroom. I'll be right back," Weiss lied, praising her ability to come up with an excuse so quick. She tried her best not to storm out of the room, keeping her pace as cool as possible until the double doors closed behind her. She leaned up against the wall, pinching the bridge of her nose so hard she was causing pain.

" _At least I have some other feeling than rage. That dolt. She was completely serious in there. We're essentially going to have a tea party with our imaginary friends. If I go in there and sit down, I may actually lose respect for myself, feeling like such an idiot as I ask Crescent Rose how her day was. Forget it. I know this is Ruby's first time making a date, but there is no way I'm going to be able to get through with it without my true sentiments coming out, hurting Ruby even more that it was all some sort of facade. I'll even take..._ "

The heiress felt a large thud on shoulder, breaking her from her thoughts to see the blonde brawler with a huge smirk and a brown bag in hand, the couple coming back from the convenient store with their new inventory of snacks. "You don't look like someone who's on a date with all the sulking you're doing."

Weiss, already in a bad mood, snapped back at Yang. "You would be in a bad mood too if Blake took you on the worst date ever."

"Worst date?" Yang inquired.

"Your sister invited me to a double date, thinking that it would be you two. Instead I get a scythe and a sword as the other couple. I give your sister a chance to take me out, for once, and she comes up with this ridiculous plan."

"Did you listen to anything my sister said or are you just that cold?" Yang sternly said, the usual bubbly expression turned into a deathly stare.

Weiss didn't falter, firing back with her own ire. "I might have missed a few words, but it still doesn't negate that I'm on a date with my weapon."

Yang looked as if she were to reach out and touch Weiss in a very hard and painful fashion until Blake grabbed onto the blonde's shoulder. The brawler gazed back and saw Blake shaking her head, eliciting Yang to calm down. She took a deep breath, relaxing herself before speaking. "Weiss, there is a far more deeper meaning to what's going on here, so please listen to what I'm about to say." With the blonde's flipped expression, the heiress could tell how serious her grievance could be. "Ruby has always had a fascination with weapons. Ever since Uncle Qrow was able to teach her the basics, that's all that preoccupied her time when she went to Signal. It worried me as I watched her, day in and day out, in the workshop modifying Crescent Rose. It's this obsession that forced me to have her make friends when she came here. She didn't have many friends growing up, her first question to almost anybody was what their weapon was, driving most away with her overzealous inquiry. It even hurts me to say, sometimes I felt that she loved that weapon more than me. Crescent Rose was her best friend until she met you. That scythe means a lot to her and she wants you to get to know what it is."

Weiss sat there, feeling smaller with each word spoken. It was the first time meeting Ruby all over again. When the heiress saw how short-sighted she was being, seeing only the base of the situation, not even attempting to see what Ruby was trying to get at made her feel terrible. She slumped her head in disappointment, knowing if the blonde miracle hadn't intervened she might have ruined what Ruby had planned. She covered her mouth with her hand, a small murmur of her response barely audible. "I... I hadn't thought about it."

"I hope that this is easy decision for you, Weiss. You will deeply hurt my sister if you don't go back in there and don't count on Blake being around to extinguish my fury if you don't," Yang said, briskly walking away with her snacks.

With Weiss still staring at her feet, Blake quickly whispered as Yang was out of earshot. "I'll still be around to protect you, but it'd dampen the mood if you couldn't do this for Ruby. I'm sure she tries a lot to be a part of your affluent world. I think this is the least you could do for her."

Weiss rose her head with the Faunus' wise words, watching Blake catch up to be Yang's shadow as they made their way back to the dorm. The heiress knew they were both right. With her planning the dates, Ruby had to adjust accordingly to what she liked to do and none of them had half the thought or meaning Ruby had put into now. Weiss didn't know how well this might go, but she owed it to her girlfriend to give this a try.

The heiress sat around as long as she could contemplating before Ruby would come searching for her. Weiss took a deep breath, centering herself as she entered the training area again. Ruby unfazed about the length of time her girlfriend was gone as she was polishing Crescent Rose.

"Alright, let's get started," Ruby giving a few flashy spins of her scythe as she handed the less-deadly side of her weapon over to Weiss. The heiress placed her hands awkwardly on the end, taking a firm grasp only to drop it with a large metallic thud as Ruby let go. Weiss wasn't to be made a fool of by Crescent Rose, heaving the large weapon, finding a more steady grip as she moved her hands up the shaft. Weiss couldn't believe how awkwardly this weighed when it was outstretched.

" _She's expecting me to be able to maneuver this thing?_ " Weiss hotly thought.

"You're going to want to maybe choke up a little more on your grip," Ruby advised, noticing how the heiress' stance was completely off.

Weiss readjusted her hands, placing one on the trigger, but unclear as to where Ruby wanted the other, picking some arbitrary spot on the sniper scythe. "Like this?"

"No," Ruby politely denied, a small levity in her response as she snickered at Weiss' form. The young leader walked behind her girlfriend, taking the back of her hands, placing them proper and gripping tightly. Ruby's feet pushed apart Weiss' for a more balanced stance. Before the heiress knew it, she was holding Crescent Rose with ease.

Ruby took a more hands on approach, her voice having a lustful tone as she talked in Weiss' ear. "Now that you have a good stance. I think it's time to learn the basics. First, the horizontal slash."

With Ruby's direction, Weiss' body flowed with hers, the simple attack she was still finding difficulty with. It wasn't a physical problem, the leader picking up a lot of the ice princess' slack as she was still getting used to the weapon, but rather a body contact one. Weiss didn't know if Ruby was aware her chest was pressing hard up against her back or her gentle voice whispering instructions in the heiress' ear. Weiss found it fortunate that Ruby was behind her, her cheeks slightly tinted with her partner being so unintentionally seductive.

Weiss attempted to distract her mind from the lewdness with some humor. "If you were a guy, I would have to say you were overcompensating for something with the proportion of Crescent Rose" The couple coming down with a vertical strike.

Ruby laughed at Weiss' comment. "It was never meant to be so big, but as I kept working on it and my fighting style, the more ideas of what could be if I extended it just a few inches more or opting for a sniper instead of assault rifle modification. Crescent Rose is the culmination of my growth as a huntress."

"You certainly have grown. Even in the year's time we've known each other, you had to change your style to fit me. I think it might be time for a new mod," Weiss offered.

"Yeah. I was actually thinking of designing a white stripe to go down it, but I didn't want us to become that couple. We already wear our emblems around our necks. I'm going to let go. I want you to do three horizontal attacks, two vertical, then jump and stick the landing. Ready?" Ruby asked.

Weiss nodded her head. Ruby let go on the count of three and she took the lessons to heart. With more grace in her steps it looked more competent than she thought she could muster, each swing a little sluggish, but she wasn't meant to master Crescent Rose. After her performance was finished, she could hear Ruby clapping, a smug smirk spreading at her own accomplishment. "That was really good, Weiss. You certainly weren't lying about being a quick learner."

"It's just a few of the basics. Don't expect me to pull off what you do ever. About the new design, you don't have to do it. The thought of it is flattering enough."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind," Ruby happily pronounced, returning to the back of her original position, her chest seemingly pressing harder than before on the heiress' back.

"Alright, now we are going to learn some defensive techniques. This is mainly for melee, but could also deflect the stray bullet if you're lucky," Ruby told.

Weiss couldn't help, but taunt the leader, her own body becoming too warm for comfort. "Can it deflect your breasts from pressing so hard against my body. You're halfway to smothering me in this position."

Ruby was caught off guard by Weiss' comment, bolting off her girlfriend as she was called out for something so underhanded. "Weiss, I-I swear I wasn't try-trying to pull anything. I mean, it's nice doing it with you in bed, but I only had the date in mind."

Weiss was confused, so confident that she was catching Ruby taking advantage of the situation she created. With the stammering, gray eyes averting, and hands fidgeting, the heiress knew Ruby was being as innocent as possible, Yang's words holding a higher insight as she saw her girlfriend's purest intentions. Weiss saw an opportunity, though. She could easily turn the tables on the situation, take control of the date with a little persistent flirting. She knew what Ruby's unconscious was thinking and a little prodding in that direction would get her out of this date, but she didn't want to. She didn't want to admit it yet, but she was having a lot of fun learning about Crescent Rose, about Ruby.

Weiss walked with confidence towards her girlfriend, the leader unsure of the heiress' next actions, but fearing the worst with her scythe in her hands, the blade looking sharper with each step taken. The ice princess turned into her girlfriend, back forming to Ruby's front. She took one of her partner's hands and placed it on the back of hers, Weiss pressing up gently to get her message across. "You said you have some defensive techniques. I hope you won't be this uncooperative when I teach you Myrtenaster."

With their bodies so close, the heiress could feel the sigh of relief as Ruby's chest depressed. The leader, with restored awareness, went back into position. Weiss internally laughed, realizing how little her girlfriend actually defends as she's always on the offensive, her glyphs playing a lot the defensive role in battle. Practicing with Ruby was almost like a dance, their bodies moving to the rhythm of the leader's pace, the heiress synchronously following the flow of her girlfriend's tactics.

Weiss missed the melee portion of the date as Ruby transformed Crescent Rose into the high caliber sniper. Weiss, being a huntress in training, was fine with guns, the incredibly loud sounds they create and even the smell of gunpowder, but she did have one confession. "I think I ought to mention this before we start, Ruby."

"What's that?" the short-haired girl asked, handing over the weapon. Crescent Rose in this new form feeling heavier as Weiss held it.

"I've never shot a gun before," Weiss confided, the leader's gray eyes popping at the admittance of information.

"I... um... wow. This might be a little too strong for you then. I just assumed, being a huntress, that you were familiar with them at least. Now that I think about it, Myrtenaster doesn't have classic gun capabilities, you use your semblance for that," Ruby sheepishly said.

Weiss already came this far on the date. The foreign concept of gun battle did frighten her, but she knew her girlfriend to be an expert and wouldn't let a tragedy happen. She didn't know how to stand, but she placed her hand on the exterior handle and one next to the trigger. "I'll take your word that it's probably too much for me, but I'm willing to give it a try, if you are."

Ruby's mood changed hearing the earnest request from Weiss. "Alright, we're going to do three positions. Standing up, my own personal favorite hip firing, and then we'll go prone." Weiss abides, Ruby setting her stance "You're going to want to have the rifle here, between the pocket of your shoulder and your breast, your face lightly against the stock and lean into the gun."

Ruby had set up a metal target at the end of the area. Weiss could barely see it, but it looked to be the side profile of a Beowolf. "Now that your feet are planted, I want you to line up your shot, inhale and hold it, then pull the trigger."

Weiss heard everything Ruby said, but could feel herself shaking with the immense power in her hands. The idea of a controlled explosion propelling metal and dust towards a target all of a sudden terrifying. She took her own deep breaths before the final one, teasing the trigger until the hammer clicked. She let out a hard shriek as the recoil hit her shoulder hard, the unforeseen brunt of the impact knocking the heiress to the floor.

Ruby immediately slid to her side. "Oh my goodness? Weiss, are you going to be alright?"

"Ow," Weiss touching the area as she was analyzing how much it hurt. "Of course I'll be fine, you dolt. Do you seriously need that much power within your gun? I was expecting a lot, but not this much kickback."

"Well... no, but sometimes yes. When I was modeling the gun, I wanted a rifle caliber that could travel far. A bullet is faster than my semblance and sometimes that is needed. It certainly would have saved my mother," Ruby explained.

Weiss had rarely heard her girlfriend mention her mother. She deduced from the absence and aversion of familial talk that something grim happened to Ruby's mother. Whatever it was, it's also part of what drives her to be a huntress. She never delved into it for personal reasons, but with Ruby sharing this kind of information willingly made the heiress curious. She didn't know how her prodding could be taken, but she did want to know more about Ruby. "What... what happened to your mother?"

Weiss immediately regret asking as she felt her girlfriend get tense, the atmosphere uncomfortable as the silence trailed longer. "Umm... Weiss," Ruby eyes looking as if they would tear up at any moment as she addressed the heiress. "If-if it's alright with you, can... can we not go into that right now."

That's all Weiss needed to hear. She outstretched her hand, cupping the leader's face. "Yeah. I won't bring it up."

The heiress lightly stroked the round cheek, the action bringing a small smile to her girlfriend's face. "I want to tell you, Weiss. I want to share my life with you, but I can barely talk about it let alone articulate it to others."

"Don't feel bad, Ruby. I've got some things I'm not willing to bring up either, but until then, the most I want you to share with me is hip firing and prone." Weiss dusted herself off and picked up Crescent Rose again. "Get behind me. I may be anticipating that recoil, but I'd rather have a nice buffer to catch me too."

Ruby didn't need to be told twice and aligned herself with the heiress, Weiss not admitting the other reason of enjoying Ruby's body against her. After a few misfires, she was starting to feel the adrenaline of firing a gun, almost reasoning of adding an attachment to Myrtenaster so she could feel this kind of rush in battle. By the end of the session, Weiss was not about to earn the marksman award in any degree, her only successful shot being a nip on the hind leg of the beast. Still, the breadth of information learned while candidly chatting with Ruby was worth making herself look horrifically amateur.

With her time of being a beginner up, Weiss was glad to take the reigns, excited to teach Ruby the elegance of her sword. As much as the heiress was wanting to mimic Ruby's playful chest bumping, she didn't have the bust for it. However, it seemed the physical flirting wasn't needed, the leader's enthusiasm in learning how to wield Myrtenaster enough to satisfy the experience. As Weiss was teaching the proper defense of riposte, Ruby had her own questions about the weapon. "So why a rapier, Weiss? There are several types of swords, big beautiful broad swords, bastard swords, and falchions. What made you choose something so fancy?"

"I wish I had a wistful answer with how I'm a robust and elegant person so it was a perfect fit, but the real story is far more depressing. When I was learning to fight, my father said that if I couldn't properly handle a weapon in his armory, he wouldn't pay for the lessons. I had hundreds to choose from, but because I was so weak, I could barely hold some of them with two hands let alone one. The light weight and balanced forging of rapiers was perfect. I memorized a quick tutorial online, my performance was good enough that he got me a personal trainer. When I started getting serious about my huntress training, incorporating dust was the logical choice, balancing out my style with my semblance."

Ruby, taking in all the story, lost her footing, forcing Weiss to scold her. "Sorry. I don't think it's depressing, though. I didn't know you then, but maybe you weren't robust or elegant, but you are now. If anything you grew into your weapon. You're sharp, focused, adaptable, stylish... beautiful."

Weiss noticed her girlfriend lowering her tone with the last compliment. " _She would be able to speak so easily and freely when describing weaponry,_ " she thought.

The heiress backed away, giving the leader room to show her what she's learned. "Demonstrate for me three offensive techniques. I may ask you to parry at any time. Go."

Weiss had to hold back laughter, having not seeing Ruby in a proper stance ever was enough to have her hiding a smile under her hand. "Parry." The awkward display of a precise battle style had the heiress chocking back laughter. "Pa-parry." The liveliness of her attacks graceful in their own right. Weiss wondered if Ruby was enjoying this as much as she was when she was handling Crescent Rose. "Parry."

Midway through a slash, the short-haired girl reacted, her klutziness causing her to lose to balance, falling on her face. Weiss suppressed the laughter as much as she could, sobering herself before she pulled her girlfriend off the ground. The heiress was fixing Ruby's bangs as she apologized. "Sorry. I'll do better next time."

"Next time will have to wait. I'm hungry and that's all I can teach you. You can't exactly do this." A large white glyph formed underneath them, lighting the darkened room with a brilliant glow. Weiss waved her arm, dissipating the glyph. The injury from earlier set it, the heiress wincing at the pain, Ruby reacting immediately.

"I'm so sorry. I should have told you to concentrate your aura around the area." The leader pulled down Weiss' jacket, exposing her shoulder. A dark purplish bruise formed above the breast, marking the flawless white nature of her complexion. Without warning, Ruby kissed the mark, the sudden intimate contact causing Weiss to shudder.

The heiress pulled away, fixing herself proper. "Did you seriously just try to kiss my wound better?"

Ruby didn't know how to answer, her cheeks flushed as she tried to think of something. "Yeah. You know... it's supposed to help." Weiss didn't hesitate and flicked her leader's small nose. "Ow."

"Next time, warn me when your weapon is going to have that hard of a recoil." Weiss placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder, peerless gaze softening meeting her girlfriend's. "I had a lot of fun today, despite it all," Weiss placing a kiss on Ruby's lips.

"Thanks Weiss. I can't wait. I have some aerial moves I'd like to show you."

"Glad to see you plan ahead. Now go and set up lunch, I'll clean up here," Weiss requested, Ruby moving to the next part of their date.

Weiss placed Myrtenaster in its casing, the heiress reflecting on Ruby's date. " _I will die before I ever let her know that her kissing my wound better made my heart skip a beat. It was very... cute. This whole date actually charmingly adorable in her own socially weird way. Thank you, Ruby. Thank you for letting me into your world._ "


	14. Yang: From Beauty to Beast

This will be a quick note. Again, I can't thank you guys enough for reading and liking the story. Never did I believe I'd reach 400+ followers. I have gone back and fixed some of the story, do not be alarmed as it's mostly just canon stuff and the grammar mistakes I was able to catch. It doesn't warrant going back and re-reading it in any way. Also thanks for liking the last chapter. It was experimental and I'll be taking more risks like that, just like this chapter. Be sure to keep hitting fav/follow and leave a review. You guys are the best and it's really appreciated.

Yang: From Beauty to Beast

The sun was rising on the already warm summer morning in Vale. Yang was having a mixed bag of feelings as her girlfriend woke her up in the morning. Blake had convinced her to do running in the early morning in the summer to avoid the intense heat in the midday. The blonde was fine with that logic. What she wasn't fine with was that there was no coffee shops open at the crack of dawn, most stores getting ready for the morning rush. Each store they passed was just a big tease, the heavenly aroma of fresh brew wafting out of the doors, each scent richer than the last.

A bigger tease was her girlfriend. Yang, of course, was a fan of Blake's body, loving every curve, scent, and taste it creates, but she noticed that the Faunus would run faster at times, giving the blonde a glorious view of her backside. The brawler likes to clear her mind when doing training, prioritizing on honing her skills for the short time she does work out, putting the world on pause so she could focus on herself. However, with Blake's butt swaying, its taut form and firmness with each stride broke Yang's concentration, forcing her to pick up the pace.

After that incident with Cardin, everything about Blake that she loved exponentially increased. Her appreciation of her physical body, her clever and insightful mind, and the brawler's duty of wanting to protect. Cardin was a wake up call for the blonde, the cursory promise of when she first started dating Blake having a whole new meaning when both of their lives were threatened. She became more aware of the subtle mircoagressions some establishments and people had against the Faunus, each minor offense chipping away at her tolerance of the matter.

However, she had to protect the Faunus from her own good nature, Yang's wallet taking the blow of buying two coffees and muffins. The blonde took her seat, Blake's soft amber eyes concerned over the gesture. "Yang, you said you would let me pay this time."

"I lied," Yang wearing a confident smirk.

"I'm not comfortable with you paying for everything," Faunus ears straining at they were pinning down under the bow.

"I know, but it's fine with me. The loans are already taken out. I might at well spend the extra on you."

Blake took a small sip from her cup, tightly squeezing around the cardboard insulator. "I've never been treated like this before. It's sort of depressing to say, but I always expected to live within my means through Beacon and probably sometime after, but you showed up."

The Faunus flashed a tender smile as she talked so fondly of her girlfriend, Yang feeling a sense of pride in being so highly thought of. "And you've been loving every minute of it."

"Almost every minute. It's hard to forget what Cardin made us go through," Blake corrected, Yang feeling the anger of that day she received the letter as the Faunus reminded her of the incident. "The rest of the time, though, when my race isn't throwing you into battles, it has been wildly exciting to say the least."

Yang stuffed her mouth full of muffin, the cinnamon sugary treat to delectable to resist before addressing Blake. "Thanks, but don't think of me being roped into anything. I'm your girlfriend, Blake. We live together, we look after each other, and occasionally we're going to have to fight together. Just because it pertains to you doesn't make a lick of difference in how much it matters to me."

"I know. Speaking of looking after each other." Blake licked her index, reaching over to the blonde's face to lightly scrape off a breadcrumb. "If you didn't have me you would have had that on your face till we hit the showers." Blake seductively ate the morsel, flaring the many lewd ideas she had in store for the Faunus.

"For being such a good girlfriend, I think a reward in the showers is in order. How about some extensive tongue bathing from your truly?" Yang temptingly laying out future plans on the table, hoping the Faunus would take her bait, wanting to end a small dry streak.

"As great as that sounds, you know we can't kick Weiss and Ruby out. They are studying like we will after we're refreshed."

"Fine, fine. I see how it is. Make me pay for your meals then force me to study and no loving. I get the dynamics of this," Yang joked, the Faunus always ready to play along.

"You do know the only reason we're together is to pay for my food. My feigning remorse and lack of sex is so I can have that lead of control to keep you buying," Blake quipped back, the Faunus leaning in expecting a kiss. Yang was feeling mischievous and mashed the black bangs into her girlfriend's head, the frisky gaze after had Yang planning how, in graphic detail, how she was going to ravage Blake's body, knowing the Faunus was having the same carnal thoughts.

The two left the coffee shop, making their way towards Beacon. There was something about the bustling sounds of commerce that was peaceful. The casual talking of people passing by, the engines buzzing as cars making their way up the street, door chimes of customers entering or exiting was pleasant because of the bubble her and Blake create when together. Even with all this noise, they were able to concentrate on each other, the normalities of life not fazing the couple... mostly.

As they were walking past a less populated area, the Faunus' ears picked up a disturbance in an alleyway. Blake urged Yang to follow her, nudging her to survey what's happening. Down the length of building, they could see three men cornering a small girl Faunus, her brown fox ears being a giveaway.

"Come on, street urchin. I know you heard me with those stupid ears of yours. Hand over your money," one of the men said.

"We saw you panhandling. You at least have enough Lien for a burger," another said. The small Faunus stood there shaking, a tin can in hand, wearing a jacket and layers even though it's summer. The three boys surrounding her could be Yang's age. Several tattoos to each of them, two wearing caps, shirts that are over-tight showcasing their steroid-built body and shorts so long they almost shouldn't qualify as shorts with how much they sagged.

Yang didn't let another word be said. "Hey!" The trio of thugs turned their attention to the blonde. "Do none of you have a moral conscious? Leave her alone!"

The fox Faunus leaped up the building's sides, propelling herself up to a fire escape on the building. The frantic clanging of the girl rushing up the flights of stairs ringing in Yang's head as she made her escape. "The quick brown fox jumped over us."

"Must be some animal advantage she gets for being a freak."

"I'm glad that it can't be because she learned how to survive from cretins like you, but because she's different," Blake piped up, the Faunus standing next to Yang, both feeling such hatred for the three men in front of them.

The man with the spiky hair stepped forward, beady eyes staring down the couple. "Well boys, looks like we got a couple of girls that are Faunus-lovers. Did it hurt your souls seeing us mistreat that thing? You couldn't just keep your liberal mouths shut until we got what we needed?"

"If you need Lien, get a job," Yang chipped out. Every fiber in her body restrained her from knocking his teeth out, taking the other two and closing their heads on the dumpster nearby. If she was holding Blake's hand, she was sure to have fractured some bone with how hard she was clenching her fists.

"Unless that job is Anti-Faunus, the only job slot for them is cheap labor with how useless they are," he said.

Blake took Yang's arm, forcing themselves to make a steady exit from the situation. The blonde unsatisfied without at least teaching one of them a lesson. "You're really just going to walk away when I'm talking to you."

Yang heard a rustling and then felt a crushed up soda can hit her on the back of the head. This was the final straw, she turned around, eyes blood red as Yang was getting ready to have no one hear the man talk again. Like a leash, Blake pulled hard on the blonde, the Faunus with a stern look shaking her head, Yang knowing what she was trying to say. The brawler took a few deep breaths, returning her irises a normal violet. As they left, Yang found it impossible to ignore the hate-filled ignorance that was spewing from the trio's mouths, both of them gripping on each other's hands as they made it to a more safe part of town.

Yang was steaming still as her girlfriend seemed to be normalized with her emotions. "Blake, I love you and all of the time I spend with you, but if I had to highlight some of the negative aspects of the relationship, having to hold my punches as jerks are throwing garbage at us has to be top three."

"I know you don't like it, but don't assume I'm a fan of it either. Nothing would give me more satisfaction than you and I tag teaming them to the ground," Blake concurred.

"How do you do it then? You always are able to keep a cool head. Right now, it doesn't seem like you were harassed," Yang inquired.

"It's part of my training. You learn early on that emotions can harm, and I'm not talking figuratively. Having the right centered mind is key to what I do, the slightest mistake in my techniques can leave me open to a counterattack. We compartmentalize everything, ensuring that our minds are focused in the peak of battle. A simple emotion like anger or sadness can mean injury or worse," Blake explained.

Hearing Blake talk about her fighting methods was so foreign to the brawler. She lets whatever emotion she has carry her movements. If she's feeling glad, she lets the rhythm and carefree attitude of her punches do their things. If her long, luscious hair is for some reason mangled in a fight, she would unleash all of Ember Celica's shells into that individual, reload and then punish the rest.

The Faunus must have picked up on Yang's downcast expression, Blake using her free hand to direct her attention to her girlfriend. "Yang, you did really great back there. I know it's hard for you, but the fact that you're still here is reassuring. It keeps my faith afloat that humans and Faunus can get along, that everything I've been fighting for is worth the effort."

Yang felt a pain in her heart as Blake spoke so endearingly about her behavior. The truth of the matter is that she was having a hard time with abiding with the Faunus' rules. Yang was a woman of action. Having her sit from the sidelines when she should be participating in a fight felt impossible to endure. Her curbed behavior only worthwhile because of what Blake says about how her participating in every brawl only hurts the Faunus plight. She does it for her, like forcing a smile as Blake praised her for her resistance in the alley.

They continued walking towards Beacon, Yang still in a bitter mood with the alleyway bastards and her own small truths she was hiding from Blake. It didn't improve as they walked further along. As they got closer to a park, they could see a gathering of people, the lot of them carrying picket signs and some distributing fliers. Yang was confused as to what was happening with all the ruckus shouting towards a man with the megaphone. As she got a glimpse of what the signs were saying, she knew she wasn't in a place Faunus friendly.

' _They took our jobs_ ' and ' _Keep our neighborhood pure_ ' were some of the many signs that were being toted angrily around the park. Yang couldn't believe what she was seeing until she heard what the megaphone was shouting. "Citizens, businessmen, and our politicians. This is not a matter of fairness, this is a matter of safety. Our liberalist agendas have given the Faunus a yard and they have taken a mile. How many of us don't feel safe when a Faunus family moves into the house next door?" The crowd roaring to the declarations of prejudice. "How many of us store owners have been robbed by The White Fang Organization? How many don't feel safe when one of these freaks are sharing the same sidewalk as us? There is a reason we kept them where they are. They are dangerous, their animal instincts making them selfish, lesser beings with no regard for a society other than theirs."

Yang felt her blood pressure rising, hearing this pool of intolerance be stirred into a frenzy by some bigot who had a hair up his ass to set this whole Anti-Faunus rally up. She wondered if any of these people actually met a Faunus, got to sit down and get to know one or were all of them sheltered and fed this propaganda since they were born. She didn't know how hard she was crushing Blake's hand, but her girlfriend tugged away, the blonde letting go as she saw the Faunus in pain.

"Sorry," she apologized.

"It's fine. I think it might be best if we don't hold hands until we're out of this celebration of hate," Blake suggested, motioning for Yang to follow her. The couple had to maneuver through the edge of the large crowd, Beacon's airship field only a hop, skip and a jump away at that point. Almost out, Yang was stopped by an overzealous individual wearing a cap and shirt depicting dog ears with a zero with a slash over it.

"Please miss, take this pamphlet and be sure to vote against any future measures to make sure the Faunus know their place," the female zealot hastily put out. Yang wanted nothing more than to punch this person in the gut, take her pamphlets, and burn them in her hands. All of the chaos around her was making her see shades of red. She controlled herself, took a small breath and replied.

"No thanks," Yang chipped out, back teeth grinding as she brushed past her. Thinking she was in the clear, it came to her surprise when the lady got in front of her again.

"You forgot your pamphlet. Take it, it's free," she handed out, the enthusiastic nature not fazed by Yang's grimace. She basically forced it into the blonde's hand, it instinctively grabbing it. She reasoned she can toss it in the nearest receptacle and walked past the protester. "Remember, Faunus are scum and will turn our city into a slum."

Yang located the black bow that adorned her girlfriend, happy to be out of that mess. She tossed the leaflet into the trash, igniting her girlfriend to react. "Yang! What are you doing?"

The blonde had no idea what her girlfriend was talking about until she saw Blake rush to the garbage can and pull out a semi-burnt brochure. The Faunus quickly mashed it to the ground, stomping on the embers till it was put out. Yang was dumbfounded, but was cognizant enough to realize what happened. She activated her semblance without realizing, the little paper catching fire and almost started a garbage can inferno.

Ashamed of what she had done, she pulled the Faunus by the arm, bustling till they were free. "I'm not going to scold you like a child, but that was actually frightening," Blake pointed out.

"I... I don't know. I didn't even realize what I did until I saw you saving the day. I'm a little angry is all. It must have discharged when I wasn't paying attention. I can't believe though that no matter what part of town we go to, there is someone there to spew out this rubbish. Seems the upper, lower and everything in between wants to get at your race," Yang reasoned through her rage.

"Yeah. The White Fang being the instigator of these mass rallies. I foresaw this when I saw the organization change, making my choice to leave easy. I hate siding with the enemy, but if all of a sudden I was being attacked by a specific militia, I'd be getting angry about it too."

"I guess. It isn't fair, Blake, but you already know that."

"Yang, the fact that you're understanding about it is enough. The only way we're ever going to change this is to get Roman and the rest of the top of The White Fang. Until then, you keep saving your punches for the ones that matter. If you were to confront that lady, you would have just wasted your breath. She's lost like the rest of them," Blake cleared up.

Yang could feel the animosity simmering in Blake, rightfully so, but it was frustrating to her now that her anger was spouting little flames from how the conflict was getting to her. Yang knew that once she got to Beacon, she would be fine and let the rest of this day blow over. It didn't end in her favor, though. When they started studying, it was about the Faunus War and even reading the history of racism was keeping her level of fury. The talk of characters past was a reminder of the caricature dummies that were in the park today.

* * *

Yang woke up, morning business coming earlier than the alarm today. After some bladder relief, she reasoned she might as well wake up, washing her hands and giving herself a generous splash of cold water to her face. She rubbed out the crusts build up and dried herself off, a final look in the mirror to see if she missed anything. To her horror, she did and there was no cover up in the world to fix it.

*-Blake-*

There was a scream in their bathroom, waking the rest of Team RWBY. Blake sprung to her feet, knowing the voice came from Yang. She entered the washroom, the blonde on the floor covering her face, a small whining muffled. Blake got to her knees, leveling with her girlfriend. "Yang! Yang. Tell me what's wrong. Did you hurt yourself or something?"

Yang forcefully pushed away Blake as much as she could with one hand, her face still well concealed. Ruby and Weiss came in shortly after. "Yang, stop struggling. You scared us. What's wrong?" Ruby tried reasoning, a small twang of worry in her tone.

"It's nothing. Just leave," Yang still squirmed around, making it hard for Blake to subdue her. Eventually she was able to pin her to the wall, Yang's one less hand being the best advantage to the Faunus.

"Yang, please, tell us what's wrong," Blake gingerly asked, her soft tone hoping it would communicate to her girlfriend. Yang sat defeated, her heavy ruffled breathing a giveaway she was desperately holding back tears. She slid her hand away, the Faunus confused as to what ailed her. The blonde opened her eyes, the rest of the the team gasping as she revealed one eye the normal violet and the other blood red. Blake felt sorry, knowing she forced her girlfriend to reveal something she wasn't ready to, a feeling she knows too well.

The Faunus didn't know how to comfort Yang, this disfigurement too unreal for her to process. She reached out, cupping the blonde's face examining the iris. "It's hideous," Yang whimpered out.

"It's... it's not... ugly," Blake sputtered out, unable to even concoct a lie at the moment.

"It is. You can't even fake it for me," Yang snapped back, a few sniffles following her ire filled comeback. Blake couldn't lie again, knowing she was already caught, any more words a possibility of setting her girlfriend off again. "Can I be alone, right now? There's only one exit. You can catch me if I leave. I want to see if I can fix this."

"But Yang, maybe we can..." Weiss piped up.

"Out! The three of you," Yang commanded, Blake seeing she's shouting out of fear, not anger. The Faunus saw her only option, her girlfriend clearly defining what she wanted at the moment. She didn't want to leave Yang's side, but with her only a door panel away was going to have to be enough. Blake nodded, taking the other team members with her, securely closing the door behind her, the lock following soon after.

A small, uncomfortable huddling of Team RWBY without their Y took place, neither of them sure what happened or what to do next. "Was it like that before you two went to sleep?" Ruby whispered.

"No. Everything was fine. She was grumbling about the off day, but I told her that tomorrow will be better. I didn't think it would backfire," Blake explained, bewildered like the rest.

"That's disappointing with nothing to go off of. I hate admitting this, but her red eye is slightly more terrifying without the other."

"I heard that, Weiss. Can you keep your whispering down to a dull roar?" muffled angst coming from behind the door.

Even the ice princess had a heart, her usual quick tongue feeling sympathetic to the situation. "I feel that we should do something, but ironically I think it might be best if we do nothing. What do you girls think?"

"We can do something, even if it's not going to fix it. I think I'll stay here," Blake offered. "You girls don't have the responsibility I have."

"Actually, maybe Ruby and I can go get something to cheer her up. It gives her the privacy she wants and hopefully when she cools down will be more receptive to others," Weiss proposed.

The idea put Ruby is a more positive mood. "Yeah. I have a place to go for any of Yang's gifts."

"Good thinking, Weiss. If you girls really want to shower, go across the hall to Team JNPR and give them heads up too. Yang probably doesn't want people to know, but I'd rather Nora not feel her wrath if a comment slips," Blake concurred.

"Alright. Weiss, Blake, and their fearless leader Ruby on a mission to cheer Yang up. Banzai!" came from a very hushed Ruby.

Weiss rolled her eyes, Blake heartened by her leader's buoyant attitude. "At least this mission has more weight than us decorating our room," Weiss hotly responded, pushing the girl to their dressers and out the door.

Blake took to sitting on her bed, promising to be there if Yang left the bathroom. The Faunus used her scroll to surf the internet, hoping there would be a symptom of a disease that a medical professional could diagnose her with. At least then they would have a direction to go, but many pages later proved no real result unless Yang popped a blood vessel in her iris.

Blake tossed her scroll on the bed, taking to reading a book to pass the time. Letting herself get lost in the literary expertise of her novel was harder than she thought as the occasional grunt and frustrated curse that came from the bathroom. Her Faunus ears pinned down with each loud commotion, her determination dwindling as she heard her girlfriend suffer. " _I feel so useless right now. Like watching an animal thrash in its cage, it's unfair. I wish this was like a world of magic. A flick of the wrist and a few simple words would have her back to normal, but life isn't that easy and am going to have to use the scientific method on this. The question is why. Why is Yang's eye permanently the same color it is when her semblance activates? She activates it freely when she's furious, but what could be making her furious at the moment?_ "

While pondering the method, she heard a muffled cry in the bathroom. "Blake."

The Faunus jumped off the bed, almost flash-stepping to the door as Yang called her name. "Yeah, Yang. What do you need?"

"Can you get me my aviators from my desk? They should be next to Bumblebee's keys in my top drawer," the blonde requested. Blake didn't like where this was heading. She got Yang's shades, the bathroom door barely cracking as the Faunus handed over the item. A second later, her girlfriend stepped out, the large frames covering much of her face. She moved over to her dressers, shedding off her nightwear.

"Going somewhere?" Blake timidly inquired.

"Going to get fitted for some contacts. It's temporary, but at least it will look normal," Yang monotonously said, snapping her bra and picking out her panties.

"Yang, you shouldn't be jumping to rash conclusions. Who knows, it might clear up in a few days."

"It also could not. Even if it did, it could also come back," Yang hastily putting on her black shorts and yellow singlet.

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"No thanks. Hopefully the only person I scare today is the optometrist," Yang said, grabbing her jacket as she was heading out the door. Blake rushed to her girlfriend's side, unsure of her reaction, but knew Yang was taking this too hard.

"It's not that bad. You'll get used it it. We'll all get used to it. It just looks bad now because it's different," the Faunus argued, hoping her words would be enough.

Yang spun around, forcefully pulling off her shades, Blake's eyes popping to the sight again. The lovely pair of irises she loved were nonexistent with the red one overshadowing the other with its intimidation, a small fire brewing in the lens. "I want you to tell me with a straight face that this doesn't scare you."

Blake was too honest to Yang, opening her mouth only for her to retract what she was about to assert. She didn't want to say it, let alone admit it to herself, but she was scared of Yang, scared of her well-being as she sat from the sidelines. She couldn't look her girlfriend in the eyes anymore, diverting her attention to anything else as she disappointed the blonde.

"That's what I thought. I'll be back soon," Yang storming out, leaving Blake overcome with guilt.

She rooted herself in place to obey her girlfriend's wishes. In the silence of the room, Blake's stomach was easily heard. She looked at the clock, it almost noon as she was heading out the door. In the cafeteria, she sat alone, not really in the mood to talk to anyone or read a book as she was eating a lobster and cheese sandwich, the crustacean losing its savory sensation with what was on her mind.

" _It was hard to watch Yang walk out that door with such a lackluster attempt at getting ready. Her hair unkempt, throwing on her clothes not even taking the time to make sure it's pressed, and that eye. I don't love Yang because of her beauty. It's a bonus, but I like her beauty because she likes her beauty. She takes such an effort to look as good as she does, even taking the time to make her mane have that disheveled look because she thinks it's sexy. Seeing her so angry, in such pain, it hurts me knowing that I must sit here and watch her slowly burn..._ "

"Hey, Blake," the Faunus broken out of her thoughts to see the redhead from across the hall, high ponytail in usual fashion, green eyes showing concern.

"Hey, Pyrrha. How's it going?"

"That's nice of you to ask, but I'd rather know how you're feeling first," the warrior said, taking a seat next to the Faunus.

"Useless is the first term that comes to mind. I've never been a part of something where anything I do doesn't remotely fix what's at hand. It's more of a wait and see at the moment. We want it to clear up, but at this point we'll take her calming down so we can talk," Blake's sinking feeling hitting her gut.

"Well, I know this isn't much, but when Ruby and Weiss told us what's up, Jaune and I went out and got something. I know it's horribly cliche, but a large box of her favorite chocolates wouldn't be the worst idea," Pyrrha said, handing over a big square box, dark chocolate filled with caramel.

"Thanks. I hope she'll appreciate it. Can we... can we not bring it up anymore. It's been about six hours of this problem swirling in my head. I'm going to burnout if I don't take a break."

"Sure, Blake. Whatever is on your mind."

"Anything new happening with you? New great developments with you and Jaune. I know you went on that commercial shoot," Blake offered.

As the Faunus mentioned the commercial, the redhead was stifling a small laugh. "Jeez I probably shouldn't even tell you this. Jaune might kill me."

"What did the blonde boy wonder do now?" Blake asked, Jaune's gawkiness in almost all aspects of the relationship is a breeding ground of good stories for the girls to gossip over.

"So, while I was gone that week doing my panels and shooting the commercial. I came back a little early from my trip and I catch Jaune with his pants around his knees, scroll in front of his face clearly..."Pyrrha lowering her head, whispering the next word, "masturbating." Blake's cheeks reddened, laughing at the embarrassment of the boy. "He almost fooled me, reflexes getting better as he was able to get underneath the covers. I was a little mad, but he actually said something that made sense to me, claiming he was relieving the pressure. I'd be lying if I said that I hadn't..."

The light bulb clicked, Blake's mind connecting the dots to a possible hypothesis, the only one that made sense. Yang wasn't mad at anything. It was pent up fury from not being able to release it when she was out with Blake. She didn't want to be rude, but she text Yang as Pyrrha was talking. " _Come back to the dorm as soon as possible. Please, do this for me._ "

Blake returned to her friend's dialogue, coming into the last bit of it. "...and I don't know what to be less comfortable with, him doing it to me or to some girl on the internet."

"Honestly, I think the creepiest option would be if it's someone you both know, so don't give it a second thought. Side note, I would be a little disturbed if Yang was flicking her bean to me. That's just me."

"I think that might be everyone," Pyrrha agreed, Blake partially paying attention to the rest of the conversation, waiting impatiently for Yang's response.

* * *

"Blake, where are you taking me?" Yang asked, the Faunus telling by her tone how annoyed she was.

"Just a bit further," she replied. Blake brushing a few branches out of her way.

" _This is not one of my better ideas, but this might be the answer. I need Yang to release her semblance, just unleash all the anger I've been forcing her to keep in from when we're pestered in public. What's going to be tricky is that I want her to do it unconsciously, a genuine venting session. She is able to cause mass destruction all the time. Breaking a couple plates on the floor and yelling to the sky is not going to be the authentic reaction that will fix this. The Emerald Forest might not be the best option for an all out fire fight, but I think they'd call Ozpin if we did this in the training area._ "

Blake found an optimal clearing, the foliage healthy and green with a large dirt patch, knowing that it was a long shot that a spark wouldn't start a small fire. She stopped and stared her girlfriend in the face, even behind the aviators she could tell how much she was not enjoying this. Blake's heart rushed as she knew she was about to play with fire, needing to get burned. "Can you take off your glasses?" she said authoritatively.

"You serious?"

"Yes."

Yang took a huge sigh, folding the shades into her breast pocket. Blake wasn't as frightened as before, staring back at her fiery gaze, determined to make it better. The Faunus knew the hot button issue and was going to mash it. "You ready to be an adult about this?"

"I am being an adult. I went down and ordered some contacts after I almost gave the doctor a heart attack."

"No. I mean about the idea in general. I don't think you realize how foolish you look wearing those things indoors."

"Oh, I'm sorry that it isn't as fashionable accessory as a bow. People are afraid of this," Yang yelled while pointing at her eye. "If it shaded the white parts then, I'd look no different than a Grimm.,"

"And you think your contacts are going to make it better? You do know that you have to take them out at night and every morning you'll still be the same," Blake raising her voice to match.

"I don't care. This is how I'm handing it and if you don't have an out for this then I'm heading back," Yang bellowed, giving her ultimatum.

Blake froze, not taking into account that Yang would run from the argument. "Fine... I umm... You could always..."

Yang rolled her eyes and huffed her way back to Beacon. The Faunus panicked, her window of opportunity closing as the blonde was fed up with the situation. As she was marching back, the beautiful blonde mane bounced up and down, Blake seeing her way back in. She ran up, reaching as far up the scalp she could and yanked without restraint. Yang screamed and cursed as she was writhing, her long hair being her down fall as Blake was out of her reach. With all the action that was happening, the Faunus was forced off her girlfriend. Yang stood in dumbfounded disbelief as Blake stood with a dozen blonde strands between her fingers. The Faunus knew she had her, letting the hairs fall to the ground.

"You..." Yang breathed out. Her semblance kicked in as the other eye turned red. "I don't know what's gotten into you, but I'm about to rip it out!" she vehemently shouted. Blake was pleased with the result, but regretted that decision as she saw the flames rise. Yang was mad is an understatement. She was on a whole knew level and the Faunus didn't know how well she'd fair.

" _Love is a foolish thing when it's asking me to poke a dragon,_ "she thought, grounding herself in position awaiting punishment. Yang blazed towards Blake, fists as hot as they were heavy, each blow from the blonde like being hit from a truck. The Faunus' original plan was to tire her our, let the fire run its course without having to fight back. With each thunderous hit from Yang, Blake knew her aura was going to be depleted. She didn't want to, but she countered the brawler.

Her fist collided with Yang's torso, the punch barely showing an effect as her girlfriend kept raging. She didn't take it well, the fire growing bigger and hotter. The heat was becoming an issue, Blake's aura slowly draining combating the intensity, trying her best to dodge her girlfriend's swings instead of blocking them. Using the thickets and branches as cover had their clothes snag and rip, her idea backfiring as Yang was getting more heated not being able to hit the Faunus. Blake was loosing her nerve as the blonde was putting on the pressure, her footing shaking her, having Yang place her first direct hit.

The Faunus fell to the ground, putting herself out as her vest caught fire, the tails singed leaving a harsh smell. Blake felt her heart jump into her throat, anticipating the next injury could be more serious. She leaped to her feet, Yang already making her next attack. Blake blocked each, the fear slowing down her movements.

The Faunus didn't want to go all out, but she released her semblance, two copies of her attacking Yang relentlessly on all sides. Blake gained the upper hand, her punches adding up as the brawler was tossed on the floor, the dirt putting out some of the flames. Watching the fire be put out gave Blake an idea. Wanting to put an end to this fight soon, and no other options springing up, she carved an idea as best she could. As Yang stood up, she saw the effects of the battle. Their skin dirtied, clothes ripped or burnt, the taste of blood in her mouth. Blake was at her limit and her girlfriend wasn't fairing any better, the rage inside driving her.

Yang rushed her, the Faunus' ribbons already loosened. As the blonde closed the distance, Blake released her semblance, tying both ends to the wrists of her girlfriend. With the multiple Faunus appearing and disappearing, Blake used this advantage to wrap the straps around and around Yang, incapacitating her. With the brawler flogging about on the ground, the Faunus took her for a spin. She rolled Yang around the ground, the dirt putting out the fire, but also quickly burning away the ribbons.

A violent spasm of coughing came from behind her, Blake flipping her attitude as she saw her girlfriend extinguished and clutching her throat. The Faunus rushed to her side, rubbing her girlfriend's back as a few dust clouds popped out. "Yang! Do you need me to get some water?"

"No," she eked out before another expulsion. "I'm fine-ish." Blake brought Yang's face closer to her, brushing the tear streaks from her cheeks as the Faunus tended to her girlfriend. As the blonde owlishly opened her eyes, beyond the teary surface, Blake gazed upon the lovely violet orbs that she's grown to love, her expression lighting up at the success of her plan.

"Yang. Yang! You're eyes! They're back."

Yang placed her hand over her eye, as if she could tell by touching it that the color changed. She looked back to the Faunus, gaze pleading that Blake was telling the truth. "Re-really? No more red?"

"Yeah. You're normal again," Blake's endearing smile giving Yang the signal she wanted, a grin spreading across her face as she embraced her girlfriend. "I'm sorry that I pulled your hair. It was a desperate act to get you to release your semblance."

"Thanks for apologizing, but I feel that I should be thanking you. You know better than to pull my hair outside the bedroom."

Blake sighed deep, not proud of what she was about to confess. "I think it was me that caused this. I noticed it when you were squeezing my hand too hard yesterday and the fact you hadn't noticed your semblance discharged on the pamphlet. You've been holding back all the anger that I told you that you couldn't unleash because of what I've been telling you. My hypothesis being that if you hold it in too long that it creates a permanent effect. For you, it's detrimental and needs to get out. I'm sorry, Yang."

The blonde pushed back from the hug, violet eyes sparkling as they beamed at Blake. "Don't feel bad. I didn't know that this could happen. Granted this happened because I'm with you, but I don't think anyone else would have handled me the way you did. Who knows, if it persisted that I could have seriously injured myself."

The Faunus' smile weakened, her girlfriend's optimism the only reason her mood wasn't dipping from her self-blame. "But as I was thinking about it, you sacrifice so much for me. Your body, your health, your clothes," Blake teased, tugging at Yang's ripped jacket, it revealing her bra and yellow tee. "The destruction of The White Fang and giving the rights my people deserve are important to me, and I know this is selfish to say, but you mean a lot more. You didn't run when times got tough last time. I'm not going to abandon you because of the occasional outburst from a racist gets a deserved punch from you. It may not look good on the plight, but if it keeps you healthy and happy, then it's worth the liability. If you're committed, then I'm committed to."

Yang gently pressed her lips against Blake's. "Yeah. I'm staying," the blonde reaffirming her devotion to the Faunus. "And you can't say you didn't sacrifice now. I roughed you up pretty good. Can't have my little Blake looking so shabby." Yang stuck out her tongue, giving her thumb a gentle lick, and proceeding to rub some dirt off Blake's cheek. The demeaning behavior meant for children she let slide, so relieved that her girlfriend was in her playful spirits.

Blake brought Yang to her feet, the two doing their best to dust each other off before they gave up, the effort too much for their hands and a showered required. As they headed, back, Yang reached over to hold Blake's hand, restoring the confidence in their relationship. "I'll adjust the tactics more. Maybe one out of every four jerks you're allowed to hit."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I wouldn't mind doing this with you every so often," Yang said trying to keep to Blake's original plan.

"I wouldn't either, but look at us. I was even able to shred your bra and I've seen the price of your cup size. I don't have the Lien to keep paying for that," the Faunus humorously added. "Remind me to order one first thing when we get back. I don't think I'll get through our morning runs without a nosebleed if they have their full bounce."

Blake placed her hand over her mouth at the suggestive confession, Yang having an epiphany at the leaked disclosure. "So that's why you run ahead of me. Oh Blake, your mind is always running into the gutter when you're staring at me."

"Please, you get a great view at my butt as it happens. You probably hang back so you can keep looking at it," Blake jested back.

"That I do," Yang kissing the Faunus between her bow.

Yang's happiness was infectious, the Faunus letting out a heartfelt laugh. She looked up at the blonde, eyes sparkling, radiating the felicity of the endgame. " _Leave it to this beauty to be so levelheaded after it all. You mean so much to me, Yang. I'll adjust anything to keep you around because it's the times like these that are worth it._ "

* * *


	15. Weiss: The First Fall of the Snow Angel

Going to make this quick because I want to bust out the fancy vodka for my martini as I celebrate 450 followers. Thank you guys for the continued support. It's surreal when I open the inbox and see an outpouring of love. Be sure to be on a lookout for both a one-shot and another pic by my artist Bakki featuring the lovely Bumblebee in the coming holidays. Till then, here's some more White Rose love. Be sure to hit that follow/fav and see you next time.

Weiss: The First Fall of the Snow Angel

"Ruby, go get the flashcards again. We need to make sure we have the nesting patterns of Grimm down. Those are easy points that we can't afford to miss," Weiss ordered, her frantic scanning through her textbooks having the leader worried.

Ruby remembered they were on her desk, reaching over and handing over the flashcards, Weiss snatching them out of her hands and running through them as she was mumbling the answers. Her methods so manic that she wasn't even giving herself time to applaud her correct answers. "Weiss, can we talk?"

"No time for that. Not when we have daylight to burn and three chapters to review."

"Again?"

"Yes, again. I'm sure I made it clear before," Weiss snapped back, Ruby's expression concerning the heiress in her peripherals.

"No more, Weiss," The leader placed her hand over the flash cards, the snow-haired girl ready to shake off Ruby. "I want you to know that we've reviewed this material three times. I heard you in the shower today rattling of terms like they were dust properties. I honestly don't think we've left the room, Yang being kind enough and bringing us food the past day."

"What's your point?" Weiss snapped back.

"Girlfriend talk. I'm worried about you. You're psyching yourself out on this, overworking yourself on something you already know."

"Ruby, this is the exam before the final. This is the last hurdle that defines what I can get as a final grade in the class. I will not be cheated out of an A for an A- because I got a B+ on this test," Weiss sharply explained, the leader not backing down scooting closer to the heiress.

"I can see all the gears in your head running at full speed and that's behind the veiny redness of your eyes. You're going to burnout and you're going to get that B+ regardless," Ruby pleaded to her girlfriend, hoping she would listen to reason. Weiss simmered down, the silver eyes imploring her to make the right decision. For Weiss, the only real decision was to study, but her girlfriend isn't one to derail the session for selfish reasons. "This isn't that conversation where I'm going to try and convince you that your perfectionist ideals are killing you. You're brilliant, Weiss. You're certainly one of the smartest people I know. What you don't lack is knowledge, it's confidence. I know you know this. You need to start believing it yourself."

Weiss' instinct was to brush Ruby off and get back to her flashcards. She took her girlfriend's word to heart, the heiress deducing that the only reason Ruby would bring this up is because of a haggard appearance and her nervous idiosyncrasies. She let out a sigh, thinking her partner may be onto something. "Then... what do you suppose we do?"

"I would suggest some fresh air, but I don't think you would want others to see you the way you look now," Ruby reaching out, fixing Weiss' bangs so they were out of her face, the heiress not liking the comment, but wasn't going to argue if there was a thread of truth to it.

"To be honest, I wouldn't mind resting for a bit. Join me if you want," Weiss proposed, Ruby not needing a second invitation to spend some quality time lounging about on the bed. The leader cracked the window, letting out the stuffy air and welcoming a cool summer breeze. Ruby seemed more excited than Weiss to be taking a break, already propping herself up with extra pillows from her bed. With some privacy, the heiress didn't see anything wrong cozying up underneath Ruby's shoulder, the firm area being more pleasant than a pillow. Being so close, Weiss was able to detect the hint of her vanilla shampoo again, her urge to scold quelled with Ruby being so nurturing. She instead lowered her head closer to Ruby's heart, the soft rhythmic beat silencing her overly compulsive thoughts.

Ruby brought out her scroll, upholding the device with her knees. Weiss hated admitting it, but it's embarrassing how fast moods can swing when watching baby animals be dumb, her partner viewing a bunch on the internet. The watching of anything non-academic was numbing, but refreshing to the heiress, laughing freely with Ruby as another puppy tumbled down a set of stairs. Throughout it all, Ruby had her arm around Weiss' shoulder, cradling the ice princess as her fingers fiddled around with her white tresses, her mind fighting to keep herself from initiating anything intimate.

" _The fact that it's this easy for her to calm me down is testament to how well we are starting to get this whole coupling business. This is incredibly relaxing. I might just fall asleep. I kind of want to. It'll prevent me from getting distracted from anything further than cuddling. I know we should still review a small portion of the last chapter, as Professor Port didn't get through it with his insistent rambling. Stop it, Weiss. Come back to what Ruby created._ "

Weiss soothed her mind again, giving the leader a peck on the cheek, then returning to her original position. "Thank you, Ruby. I really appreciate what you do for me."

"Likewise, Weiss," Ruby replied, chastely smooching the heiress' forehead, the tender act having the ice princess curl closer to her girlfriend. Content with the circumstances, it surprised the white-haired girl to be lifted up by her chin, Ruby's stormy eyes brewing something sensual in them. The leader gently placed her lips on the heiress', Weiss kissing back instinctively. She almost let herself get lost, her conviction to stay in a proper frame of mind pushed Ruby back before she started hitting the right buttons.

"Ruby..." Weiss's lungs deprived of oxygen taking a deep breath before continuing. "I don't want to get distracted from studying later. Can we put a rain check on this?"

"Weiss, the reason I'm doing this is to help you relax. I was never intending for you to go back to those books," Ruby quietly spoke, the heiress listening intently to her girlfriend's words. "It hurts to watch you stress needlessly. Take this day off with me. Enjoy the fruits of your labor a little early."

Her face turned a bright red, her heart skipping a beat at both Ruby's proposal and the fear that her flirting may have become more masterful. Still, she considered the offer. " _She may have a point. I do feel that I overdo it at times, wondering if some of the time before Beacon could have been making more friends. Then again, I didn't have someone like Ruby, someone to catch me as my stubborn ego was spiraling me into loneliness._ "

The ice princess lazily wrapped her forearms around her partner, wordlessly giving her answer as she pulled Ruby closer to her. The leader purposefully missed her lips, pecking Weiss' collarbone causing her to gasp from the sensitive touch. She trailed her mouth upwards, not missing a spot as she reached Weiss' mouth, the heiress craving Ruby's taste. She opened her mouth, the leader not hesitating as she entered, teasing Weiss' tongue until she invaded hers. Ruby placed Weiss' hand on her collar, helping her pull it down, slowly exposing the supple skin of her girlfriend. She returned the favor, the heiress kissed the clavicle, eliciting a small moan from her partner.

The heiress didn't want this to end, Ruby's idea working as she was blissfully unaware of the real world, but they recalled they have roommates with a reminder on their scrolls. Still keeping her word to her girlfriend, she didn't ask about the exam anymore. After they made themselves respectable, they went back to innocently watching videos, both feeling a breath of relief as the other two came in none the wiser.

Weiss let Ruby sleep in her bed tonight, rewarding her girlfriend with her own kindness by offering to cuddle, hoping Yang wouldn't make a big deal out of it. In her lowest voice, the heiress whispered, "this was fun." Ruby responded by nipping the nape of her neck, the ticklishness causing Weiss to hold back glee.

* * *

Weiss took the exam and felt like she owned it with how quickly she was able to run through it. So self-assured with her perfection that she was riding a high that benefit Ruby, the heiress returning her good-natured guidance into a more loving and physical form. Weiss was already riding the high from the exam, the added satisfaction of new territory she was treading with her girlfriend brought out pleasurable sighs of gratification that rose her ego to dangerous levels. Weiss felt free from the shackles of the tyranny of education, a weight lifted from her mind that had been stifling these good vibes.

The snow-haired woman sat in Professor Port's class the next day, waiting for the big-bellied professor to stop blathering on about how they all should be studying harder, this lecture clearly not pertaining to her. His massive size was making his way up and down the idles, some of his gut pressing against the long tables as he was passing back the tests. "Now, I know I'm sounding very harsh, but this material will be on the final. I would hate to see you guys next quarter because of a small hiccup on Grimm migration patterns." The large teacher handed over Weiss' exam.

The proud smile she adorned sunk until her face looked like it was melting. With jaw dropped and eyes wide, she couldn't believe the amount of red marks on her paper let alone the score in the top right corner.

"T _wenty... twenty-seven percent,_ " her mind barely able to comprehend the score. Weiss' hands trembled, trying her best to keep it together.

"Drat," a small grumble came from her left, Weiss glancing over to see Ruby pouting at her test.

"What did you get?" Weiss secretly asking to see if the leader's score was as bad as hers.

Ruby turned her test to the heiress, her expression not warranting the objection. "I got an eighty-eight." Weiss felt a lump in her throat, realizing as she was looking at her other teammates results that she was the only one who didn't do well, but drastically failed.

"How about you, Weiss?" Ruby asked, not picking up on the beads of sweat forming on her face.

'You-you know, A as usual," Weiss lied, barely shaking out her response.

She covertly placed the exam in her backpack, stuffing it deep making sure that no one could accidentally see it. As the class went on, Weiss was absent, her mind focusing on nothing but the bleeding marks on her paper, the denial setting in. " _I can't... I can't believe I failed. I've never failed at anything. I've never even been average at anything. I sped through that test, my pencil smoking with how fast I was racing through the multiple choice. This F spells the end of my impressive road to be valedictorian. I get a C in this class and either Ren, Pyrrha or Ruby will take up that candidacy. I did my time, spending many hours going over the material. Did I not think enough? Were their misdirections in the questions? Maybe, but not enough to plummet my grade to that level._ "

A small tapping of lead to table came from Ruby. The heiress noticed the bored and carefree attitude her girlfriend had as she doodled on a paper. Her fist clenched her pen, the fragile plastic cracking in her grip, her denial focusing on the reason she failed. " _You did this. You made me fail, Ruby Rose._ "

The bell rang, Weiss throwing her books in her pack and storming out of the classroom, the farther away from Ruby the better. As if the universe was trying to torture her, her leader caught up, wondering why she left class without even speaking. 'Hey, I thought we had lunch plans. The cafeteria is the other way."

Weiss' scowl was more ferocious that usual, her added harsh tone making for a very threatening warning. "Change of plans. Go by yourself. I'm going back to the room and don't follow me."

Weiss roughly brushed past Ruby, shoving the the leader as she stormed down the hall. In a flash, the short-haired girl was in front of her, Weiss cursing her semblance was extreme speed. Ruby raised her hand, hesitant in touching the heiress for comfort. "Is anything bothering you?" she tepidly asked

"It's your..." Weiss stopped herself before she was about to give Ruby the tongue-lashing of a lifetime. Every sign in her mind way pointing at her girlfriend being the scapegoat to her failure, but her pride and sheer embarrassment of her lamentable score was preventing her from vocalizing her abhorrent misstep. "I will not repeat myself. I want to be alone today."

Weiss swiftly went around, her hopes that her last statement conveyed how upset she was without explicitly stating it. She felt a soft hand on her shoulder, her instinct to throw off her girlfriend. Now furious, she turned attention back to Ruby, gray eyes scared. "Leave me alone! How do I get it through to you, you dunce, that I don't want you around me? Are you deaf? Do you not understand simple commands? Do I have to break it down further for you or am I clear?"

The hooded-girl nodded her head, almost snapping her neck with the rapid pace. Weiss was satisfied with the nonverbal response and went back to fuming. The heiress was in such a rage that she wasn't even aware of the state she left her girlfriend, not caring how she felt because she had been betrayed by her benevolence.

*-Ruby-*

Ruby stood prettified as she watched the white silhouette of her girlfriend disappear down the hall, resisting the urge to run after her. Anguish set in as fluid built in her eyes. Ruby is used to being yelled at, Uncle Qrow nice, but very serious when it came to training and the occasional time she misbehaved. She was familiar with the sting of disappointing a loved one, but this was the first time Weiss made her feel that recognizable heartache. She had never been talked down to, though, feeling herself shrink as Weiss berated her with each sentence.

The leader wiped the tears with her sleeve, not wanting passing students to see her cry, unaware that her posture and expression showcased how she felt. She did as she was ordered and walked away, her destination the cafeteria. Her back slouched, head hung low as Weiss' words echoed in her mind, a few tweaking her the right way causing more water to build up. She shuffled into line and got her food, glad to be alone like her partner.

Ruby nibbled on her lunch, depressed with the current situation. " _What did I do? I've seen Weiss mad or annoyed with some of my antics, but I've never seen her blow up like that. It makes the first time we met look like nothing in comparison. It bothers me that I don't know what brought this on. Did I fix her coffee wrong this morning or was I kicking her too much while I was sleeping? Could she be fed up with me using her shampoo? No... those are too small for her to explode like that. Something happened, but what?_ " The leader sniffling up mucus as she kept replaying the memory. " _Stop it, Ruby. You don't want to cause a scene._ "

Ruby was playing with her peas, arranging them into a W as a stranger sat next to her. "Hey Ruby."

She glanced over to see Blake, a warm smile that was more than welcoming to her dismal disposition. "Hi Blake. Where's Yang?"

"She says it's a secret, which can mean a multitude of things, but time has proven that's it's usually a gift, gag or sentimental," Blake rationalized, Ruby's thoughts on par with the Faunus' reasoning.

"Sounds like it. It's weird seeing you two apart."

"I could say the same about you and Weiss. Where's she?" Blake innocently asked.

The Faunus hit a soft spot, Ruby wincing at the sound of her name. She knew she wasn't welcomed, but she figured Blake ought to not walk into a landmine. "Back in the room. I wouldn't go in there anytime soon."

"So, she is mad. I knew I saw something off after class ended. Any particular reason this time or she just looking for an excuse to fight again?" Blake joked.

Ruby was put in an impasse. On one hand, she wanted to work this out herself, but Blake was a wealth of experience, possibly guiding her in this situation. Even without Yang, she felt at least one knowledgeable person is better than none. "She's... she's mad at me."

Ruby's gloomy tone signaled the Faunus to explore deeper. "What happened?"

"I don't know... All of a sudden Weiss started yelling at me and telling me to go away. It's not what she said, but ho-how she said it," Ruby tearing up again. "Whatever I did, it must have been horrible. I'd do anything to ma-make it right."

The Faunus placed her hand on Ruby's back, attempting to sooth the young leader as best she could. "Hey hey hey. Lets not do this here, Ruby. We'll take our food to go and find someplace private to talk about this. Sound good?" Blake's eyes were the opposite of her girlfriend's, so friendly and caring that Ruby jumped at the opportunity to leave. The Faunus and her walked causally out of the cafeteria, everyone none the wiser to Ruby's state.

They made their way to the leader's favorite place, the Beacon Garden, a place she hadn't needed to visit because her and Weiss' relationship had blossomed into something stable and beautiful. Ruby took a few sniffs of the roses in front of her, the tranquil scent unwinding her brain as she was talking with Blake, recounting her emotions as she was being reprimanded. "I actually felt my heart hurt, like a physical squeezing on it when she finished. Some of it was out of fear, both out of not knowing why I was being yelled at and the intensity of it all, the other out of seeing Weiss so upset. I know I'm used her her scowl, but it's was different this time. Like I failed to be a good girlfriend."

Ruby felt the comforting hand of the Faunus, her body instinctively leaning into it. "Ruby, I do want to say that you are handling this well. Better than I would have handled it with Yang."

"You two fight? But I never see you two ever unhappy, except the time Yang revealed your taste of literature to the rest of us by decorating your bed with the more... racy covers," Ruby pointed out, the Faunus rolling her eyes at the remembrance of the memory.

"To be clear, I wasn't upset you girls found out, rather than she knows I like to keep my covers in pristine condition. We've fought, though, like every couple. The difference here is that I yell back which is always my impulse to match her tone. You did good by just listening this time, yelling never really was my best course of action. When two people are screaming at each other, it's surprisingly harder to hear them," Blake explained, the leader sitting an absorbing the wisdom.

"Then how does it get resolved?"

"We talk or talk really loud sometimes, but fights aren't resolved by ignoring it or buying a gift."

"But I can't even get a dialogue going. I'm terrified of going back to the room, afraid she might bite my head off again," Ruby pointed out.

"Well, time to cool off is needed, but there's no reason that you can't quicken the process. She has to see you tonight unless she fled and is in a hotel somewhere in Vale," Blake replied.

"How?"

"Use your head, Ruby. You are just as creative as your sister when solving problems. I've never seen Weiss as happy after your last date and that didn't come from Yang and I."

The encouraging words from Blake did have Ruby thinking. The Faunus was right, so far no one has spoon fed her on being a girlfriend. With some guidance from Yang, and now Blake, she's been able to figure out how to be in a relationship. " _Could I ask Blake and Yang for the answer to this? Maybe, but this is my fight. They don't know Weiss like I do, so it may not be the best of actions. I need to lure her out of that room. I shouldn't make her feel like she's cornered and forced to talk to me. I can't send her a text, too impersonal and she could easily ignore it no matter how many emoticons and 'I'm sorries' I litter it with. It needs to be a better hook._ "

Blake sat there in support as Ruby silently scanned the garden, hoping for anything to trigger the miracle she needed to help her out. She examined over to the far side of the garden, in the corner was a yellow rose bush and the idea snowballed after that until it hit a rut. No matter how fast she was, she couldn't hover a rose in the window and be at the fountain. She needed a hand, or rather a Faunus. Blake's ribbons that she used so effectively lethal in battle were going to be used in a far more delicate function.

"Blake. I have an idea, but I need your help," Ruby requested, turning on her puppy-dog eyes that worked easily on the Faunus.

"Sure, Ruby. Earning favor with my girlfriend's little sister is always a good thing," Blake humorously added, the short-haired girl upbeat that the support from the Faunus extended past being a teammate and leader.

Ruby sat up, offering her hand to Blake as the inspiration was surging through her. "Never think that you need to earn any more favor with me. The fact that you make my sister as happy as you do is enough, but this will put you over the top. Help me pick a few flowers out of that yellow rose bush. I'll join you after I get a red one."

The two split up, Ruby rushing to the lovely sea of red buds searching for a big one. " _I won't be picky like I was before. Time is of the essence. I really don't want to have to sleep in Team JNPR's room. Whatever I did, I'll figure it out. Even if I can't solve it tonight, I can work on it over time. Please don't shut me out, Weiss._ "

*-Weiss-*

The heiress laid on her bed, arm covering her eyes acting as a sleeping mask, wishing she could wake up from this nightmare. Her cheeks were red from pinching them and she splashed enough water in her face to have her accept that this was reality and her score was not some boogeyman trying to antagonize her. In her stewing of anger, came the polar opposite as she was wallowing in her depression. She was no longer targeting her girlfriend with such animosity. Ruby was such a distant thought at this point that all she could see is black, literally and figuratively

" _What do I even tell mother and father when they see me graduate and I get no special amendments or honors. This one grade plummeting me into the abysmal pit of average. I hope there's some sort of fighting aspect award. Maybe then I could still shine and be proud. Even if it's some sort of ribbon or medal that I can hang somewhere I'll count it at this point, even if it's bronze,_ " Weiss' eyes tearing, her dark delusion overtaking her as she listlessly let water form in her eyes. She opened her pack, grasping the exam, slowly bringing it to focus. The blood-red twenty-seven percent was still there, tears staining her pillow. " _It happened. I failed._ "

From the window came a small ringing, Weiss' state of mind ignoring the sound at first. The second time it rang harder, heeding to the odd sound. She struggled to get out of bed, the despair bleeding out her energy. She brushed back the velvet drapes, greeted by the unwanted sun. As her eyes focused, a single buttercup rose was dangling in her view by a black strap. Around the stem was an envelope, crudely wrapped together by cheap tape, ' _Open Me_ ' written on the outside.

" _That's not right. Ruby usually leaves me red roses._ " The peculiarity of it all had the heiress' attention. She untied the envelope. As soon as it was free, the black ribbon receded back to the top of the castle. Weiss wanted to call out and address whomever was scheming this, but she focused on what she acquired.

She went to her desk and ripped the top with a letter opener, a single sheet of paper inside along with something adding weight. The letter didn't take long to read, only ten words written on the parchment. " _I want to talk. Meet me at the fountain. – Ruby_ ".

Weiss was confused with the plainness of it all, wondering if the letter was as simple as it seemed. She turned the envelope upside down, the heiress' heart shaking as the snowflake necklace that her girlfriend wears with pride fell in her palm. Weiss feared the worst, not knowing how to take any of this delivery of information. She spun her own rose pendent between her fingers as she stared at the snowflake. She didn't need to be told twice, some energy returning as she was rejuvenated with the uneasiness of the situation.

By the fountain, she spotted the red cloak waving in the gentle breeze, her partner sitting on the rim. The sound of Weiss' loafers had Ruby turn her head, the heiress not understanding the soft smile with such an ambiguous letter. She presented Weiss with a makeshift bouquet of yellow roses, a red one in the middle making it look like a yellow-frosted cupcake with a cherry on top.

"I'm sorry," the leader spoke, Weiss even more perplexed at what was happening. "I don't know what I did to make you upset, but that's why I asked you out here. I want to talk. I want to make this right and I thought the most appropriate measure would be to show it."

Weiss' brain had been on such a roller coaster that this action made her thought process slam on the breaks. "Ruby, I have no idea what you are talking about. What's with these flowers, and more importantly, why did you take off your necklace?"

"Well, you were yelling at me earlier, telling me to go away, so I assumed that it was something I did. If you're allowed to not wear your necklace because you didn't feel you deserve it, then I think I have the same right," Ruby explained. Weiss desperately tried to recall what she was talking about, the whole day had been such a weird blur after she saw her score. She dug deeper, uncovering the memory that she had repressed. Her vision cleared, but a red filtering was present as she was shouting at her girlfriend, such hurtful words being sprayed at the one person who didn't deserve any of that.

Weiss set the flowers down, bringing Ruby in for a strong embrace. "I'm the one that should be sorry, Ruby," she whispered in her ear. "I was blaming you for something you didn't do. I was being selfish, a dunce, and I take back everything I said." She pulled Ruby back, forcing her to earnestly reply to her big gray eyes. "I'll say it again, Ruby. I'm so sorry for making you feel like you're responsible for some invented occurrence. I'm sorry for making you go through all this trouble for my behavior. In the future, never let me talk down to you like that. You are the last person in my life that would deserve a tongue lashing of that nature."

"Thanks, Weiss, but... if it's alright with you. I'd still like to know what's been troubling you," Ruby asked, trembling as if the very mention of former events would set her off again. Seeing how far Ruby went to try and mend the relationship, she deserved an explanation.

"You came here to talk. Take a seat. This might... it might take a while," Weiss requested. As soon as she sat down, the heiress lost her voice, unable to still utter the phrase of the meaning, her dawdling around the subject, meandering enough hoping to find that courage.

"The reason... the reason I was so angry earlier... is because... is because..." Beads of sweat formed at the heiress' brow, the stammering getting Ruby more nervous.

"You know, the fact that you want to talk is good enough for me. Why not continue this at another time?" Ruby offered, the kind gesture Weiss would rebuff.

"No. This needs to be said. For your apology and my mental health," Weiss replied. "I... I fa-failed that exam," the heiress hoping that speaking the dreaded phrase would have some sort of rewarding feeling for coming clean, but it was only burning her ears.

"Oh... oh my gosh, Weiss. I-I... I don't want to even comment."

"Let me comment for you then. How could you, Weiss Schnee, get an F? You are intelligent, you are infallible... you are perfect. Is that accurate?" Weiss' cold accusation affirmed by Ruby nodding her head, her sorrowful expression making the heiress feel worse. "I'm sorry that me being me has got you from being honest. This need for being the best all stems from my childhood. Winter and I were born to people who made their own success, making it hard to live up to. Both my mother and father were very accomplished people before meeting each other and that sense of achievement was passed on to us. Because they are a part of such high society, being number two was never enough. If you thought the rankings at Beacon were brutal, try one of our formal affairs where if your child wasn't exceptional at something you weren't even included in the conversation. I had to be the best. Back when I was still learning how to fight, I entered a young master championship for fencing. It was my first tournament and I was nervous, but made it to the finals. I lost on a technicality, but I still got a medal. My parents were only not impressed and going so far to say they were disappointed because I didn't live up to that impossible expectation."

Weiss buried herself in her knees, unwilling to look Ruby in the eyes as her voice was shaking through the confession. Getting that off her chest made her feel better than acknowledging her failure. The fact that she could tell Ruby such an intimate moment of her upbringing made her feel closer to her. The leader's arm wrapped around her, Weiss leaning into her girlfriend's form, her mind desperately seeking comfort.

"I'm not going to pretend I understand how you're feeling. I'm sure it was rather difficult with that extreme pressure on you at all times. If you're at Beacon, I can probably guess you didn't fail too much after that. This is your first slip up and you scrapped your knees and bruised yourself bad, but mind if I tell you what my dad said to me about failing?" Weiss silently accepted, raising her head to Ruby's shoulder as she was listening to her leader's encouraging words. "Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we do. It must seem bad now, but we still have the final. We can salvage this."

After hearing Ruby's parenteral lesson, Weiss did concede she may have been blowing this out of proportion. " _Maybe it's the lowness of the score or the first time that I have failed, but she's right, it isn't the end. If anything, I would have worked harder and inevitability done the same thing to myself again. It's not Ruby's fault I failed. It's her care and affection that is the reason I'm not cooped up in the room drowning in my self-pity._ "

Weiss kissed her girlfriend's shoulder, keeping her voice low. "Thank you." Ruby's grip tightening around the heiress. The sun was setting, the serenity of dusk welcoming to Weiss with how stressful a day she has had. "Can we sit outside here for a little longer?"

"Yeah. No problem," Ruby responded. Weiss closed her eyes, her mind finally winding down after being run at full capacity for so long. She clasped the leader's hand that was firmly keeping them together, grateful to the hand that picked her up and dusted her off.

* * *

" _I don't want to even know what that bloated hog of a professor is going to tell me,_ " Weiss thought as she was making her way to Port's office. Yesterday she was convinced that Ruby's presence was enough to silence all the negativity surrounding her until an email from the professor was in her inbox requesting her to come immediately. " _Is he going to tell me how disappointed his is in me? Lay it on harder? Or give me some lecture on how the final is the last saving grace in passing?_ "

As she reached the door, she felt it stretch to the ceiling, the growing fear shrinking her hope into a minute box in her throat. She stood outside, mentally cheering herself to open the door and get it over with. She took a deep breath an entered the dimly lit room, the instructor appearing more studious in here than down on the classroom floor. His face was buried in a book, peering over as Weiss entered the room.

"Oh, Miss Schnee. Glad to see you could make it," his loud voice still having a booming effect in the small space.

"It's my pleasure, Sir. Should I take a seat?"

"No. This won't take long," he said as he was rummaging through his messy desk, bringing out a form so familiar to the heiress. It was the exam she failed, her pupils reducing as she saw it, her worst thoughts coming to the forefront. "I was inputting the grades last night and your score was absurdly low. I know you as a student and a fail on any exam is possible. A twenty percent is impossible, so I looked into it..."

Professor Port went on an impressively long speech about how he went searching for why this could be happening, the heiress not getting to hear it as a deathly ringing in her ear was drowning it out. " _This is it. This is the last thing I needed today. Stop running from it, Weiss. Stand strong and take it._ "

"...and as I sat down and went through the other two keys, I noticed my mistake." Weiss coming back into the conversation, her monologue not having her miss much as the professor continued. "I went through it by hand and saw that you had almost every question correct," the claim getting the heiress' attention. "So I took out another test and put your answers down. Here is your actual grade, Miss Schnee."

Weiss grabbed the paper from him, her eyes growing wide as she saw the score. "A ninety-ninety-seven?" she proclaimed in disbelief.

"Yes. A near perfect. I called you to personally apologize for my grievous mistake. I must have put you through the gambit," he spoke, not even knowing the half of it. Weiss was taken aback, her mind having its ends fried as her looked at her proper score. The amount of joy coursing through her stunting her natural courtesy.

"Th-thanks, Mr. Port. I re-really can't thank you enough," Weiss stammered out as she was taking her leave, an almost zombie-like walk as she was processing the miracle that occurred. As she entered the dorm, Ruby was anxiously waiting on the bed, ready to console a newly damaged heiress. The young leader got to her feet, Weiss slumping her back to the door.

Ruby placed her hand on the her shoulder, the leader trying to best to get a read on her girlfriend as Weiss was heavily breathing, eyes glued to the floor. A hand brought her face up to meet silver eyes, the heiress' mood turning on like a switch, a smile so broad that it provoked Ruby to ask, "How did it go? Is everything alright?"

Weiss still couldn't speak, lifting up her test and placing it between their faces. Ruby stepped back, double taking as she saw the score. "Oh my gosh, Weiss. Is this real? You did amazing."

"I did. The professor corrected it with the wrong key. I-I..." Ruby was faster to handle the information than the heiress, the leader squealing with happiness, lifting Weiss up from her feet. No longer able to contain it, she was laughing as her girlfriend carried her to the bed, slamming them both on the sheets. Weiss held onto her girlfriend, not wanting to let go for a single second she was sharing this bliss with Ruby.

Weiss didn't know how exhausting it was rolling around the bed, belting out laughter like no tomorrow. She laid on her back, Ruby hovering above her as she was reveling in how this one person could have such a presence in her life that it was propped her up when she faltered. As she looked at her, eyes still eager to play, Weiss brought it down, unable to contain what she wanted to convey.

"Thank you for not abandoning me."

Ruby smirked, the darkness behind the sincerity humorous to her. "I don't think you realize how much you rebuff me. I'm used to it. It's times like this, though, when you're trying to push me away is when it hurts. It hurts because I see something beyond the usual scowl and coldness in your eyes, a certain loneliness that's kind of hard to describe. It's then I know you need me the most."

Weiss was used to having chords strike with each romantic endeavor she has taken with Ruby. This one was different. The words having a different meaning as she listened, each one highlighting a new love for her girlfriend, Ruby's genuine expression intensifying the already beautiful moment.

"You can keep pushing me away, Weiss, but I'll always come back to your side."

Weiss was unable to articulate in proper how much Ruby meant to her at this point. A simple action for lacing her arms around her neck and bringing the leader closer for a peck would have to suffice. As much as Weiss wanted to celebrate more, she was fatigued by the extreme ups and downs of the last twenty-four hours. With the other two out of the room, she let Ruby sleep on top of her, the weight more than she was expecting, but she still had a ladylike delicateness to her. The young leader had Weiss in a loose embrace, Ruby dangling close around her neckline using her chest as a pillow. The heiress brushed the red-tipped bangs out of her forehead, Weiss wondering how Ruby could find her small bosom so comfortable. " _Is this love? Having your partner relax on you or your partner enjoying relaxing on you despite the bust size. Maybe both. I don't know what is the next step for us, Ruby, but I'm glad it's going to be with you._ "


	16. Blake: Heat

This will also be a quick note. Thanks you everyone who continues to read and throws it out there for others to discover. Hopefully by the time I update again, I'll be at 500 followers so here's to you good people. Also, I made a Hanukkah One-shot, 'The Light that Shadows in the Night' starring our loving couple Bumblebee, so please check that out and give love to Bakki for the sexy, but misleading artwork. Hit fav/follow, it's greatly appreciated.

Blake: Heat

A heat wave had struck Vale, Beacon Academy getting some levity from the brutal temperatures, but they were still high. Blake and the rest of the students tried to dress down, leaving coats and anything else to keep them cool behind. At first, Miss. Goodwitch had an extreme disliking to the girls being so inappropriately dressed down. Ozpin took authority and gave his consent, the heat getting him out of his suit and scarf. With the headmaster going over her head, Glynda decided to go with the flow, her noticeable stares happening less as Yang had her shirt halfway buttoned down, her own way of battling the heat. Blake herself took the first couple off too, the gentle airing cooling her chest.

Unfortunately, that was a few days ago, the dress code back to full effect, but Blake still was feeling hot, even hotter than last week. Her full uniform was like a straitjacket of fire and sweat, the Faunus feeling like the odd one out as she saw everyone go about their day. Sitting in class was annoying, Yang's closed up top more inviting in the past days with her generous display of cleavage, but it was having Blake distracted more in class. She was having a loss of appetite as well, barely taking nibbles of her food the past day. Despite the lack of food, she was still having a crazy amount of energy and was easily getting distracted.

At the end of the day, the cool summer breeze lofting in the room was not affecting the Faunus' body temperature. In her robe, she lay rumpled on the bedspread, her arm placed over her slick forehead, it warm but not burning. Yang came in from dinner, scared as she saw her girlfriend looking so haggard.

"Blake?" she asked quietly as she slowly approached the Faunus, kneeling next to her bed. She let an an affirmatory groan as she heard Yang's nice voice. The blonde lifted her arm off her head, Blake opening an eye to see the purple eyes desperate to know the answer to this question. "Is everything alright? You've been out of it."

"I'm fine. I'm just feeling really hot. I think I'm coming down with something. It's hard to describe, but I'll get over it."

"Well, I still brought you some food. I told everyone that you were fine, but now I feel like I should go back and tell them."

"No, but thank you for the food. Leave it on the shelf please." The blonde placed the bag and startled curling up to her girlfriend. Almost immediately, Blake felt the extreme heat from her partner's aura. It was like adding fire to the sun, the Faunus feeling like a child with a fever was breathing hot air all on the side of her body, the usual welcomed warmth unpleasant. Part of her felt guilty for what she was about to say, not wanting to hurt her girlfriend. "I'm sorry, but can you not sleep here tonight?"

Yang gasped as she sat upright, amber eyes peeping open to see her girlfriend shocked by what she said. "Blake... no," Yang's eyes almost tearing up as if she called her something unspeakable. "We've been sleeping in the same bed since we've been together and even isolated incidences before we started dating. Even if you're sick, I still want to be next to you."

"You being next to me is only making this worse. You are my portable heater. I'm always comfortable when I'm next to you, and lulled to sleep by you on nice nights like this, but I can't... I can't tonight. I've been trying to go to sleep since you girls went to dinner. I don't like it either, but I think this is the only option."

Yang was clearly hurt, making Blake feel worse. " _I hate when I do this to her. Must run in the family to make sympathetic faces that make you want to take everything back. Her irises getting bigger, sensual lips pouting, her hair delicately resting on her bosom, her sweat from the day having her yellow shirt cling to the bountiful curves of her breasts. I so want to reach out and... and. What am I thinking? Did Yang notice me blatantly undressing her with my eyes? Poker face, Blake. You need to be firm on this one._ "

The blonde didn't seem to notice, the situation preoccupying her thoughts. "You really want this, Blake?" Yang already hanging her head in defeat.

"Yes. I'm sorry, but this is for the best," Blake bending her neck so she could kiss her partner's lips, Yang reciprocating. The Faunus went in deeper, kissing heavier, the blonde willingly accepting as her libido was always turned on to max. Before she knew it, Blake had her tongue deep into her lover. Her mind snapped back out of her trance, leaving Yang dumbfounded.

"Why'd you stop? Ruby and Weiss won't be back for another few," Yang reasoned, Blake's mind almost letting herself sink back into her embrace.

"Umm... just go to bed," Blake worried, knowing what happened, but was quietly denying it. She didn't want to be awake anymore, hoping that she could sleep off whatever is ailing her. Yang begrudgingly hopped up to her top bunk, small thuds coming from the top as she beat the dust out of her pillow. Now alone, Blake was thinking more about her condition, the hot weather and racing speculations piling on making her twist and turn in the night.

" _It's not it. It's definitely not it. It can't be, it's too early. Yeah. That's right. I'm sick. This is one of those summer colds that will blow over in forty-eight hours. Day one is the worst of it, but tomorrow I will no doubt be feeling better and not having such hot thoughts. I mean, my head won't be as hot._ "

Blake felt gross lightly drenched with her own sweat, wondering how it's fine after sex, but right now was making her feel gross. She stared at the top bunk, the frame holding her significant other, who she could hear was also asleep as the gentle sawing of logs was coming from above. Even in her state, she wanted Yang more than ever, the Faunus biting her finger to stop the urges.

As the night continued, she desperately wished there was a fan in the room, tempting her to skip class from lack of sleep. She reached for her scroll, the clock reading well past appropriate bed time. She took a deep sigh, acknowledging her defeat as her restless state was making it impossible to slide into slumber. Knowing full well it wasn't going to work, she closed her eyes, hoping that would count as sleeping behind the veil of her lids.

A thud sound came next to her head, Blake determined to keep her eyes shut as she assumed Yang was woken up in the night by some private business. As she was concentrating on going to sleep, she felt a tickle run up her thigh, the Faunus knowing too well who would be doing such a sensual action. The blonde beauty was bent over against her bed, the very familiar frisky lust in Yang's eyes as her hand trailed up further the soft flesh.

"Ya-yang..." she harshly whispered. "What are you doing?"

"Having a little midnight fun. Also, I have to punish the bad Faunus who kicked me out of bed. Your sentence is two hickeys and an orgasm," Yang ordered, her fingers reaching into her inner supple skin. Blake panicked and not for the reason she thought would come to mind. In the moonlight, the silver lighting highlighting some of the blonde's features to a hue that had the Faunus' desire flaring, her brain doing its best to lock her in position as she plead her case. Yang used her cleavage to further bend Blake's will, the mighty bosom spilling out of her orange tank top looking ever so inviting in the pale light.

She glanced over, Weiss was turned away, hopefully asleep, and Ruby's hand was dangling from her tent bunk. "We can't do this. It's against rule number one."

"I know," Yang said, undressing from her nightwear before positioning herself above the Faunus, lowering her head and giving Blake's neck a heavy inhalation, a quiver of velleity running though her. The fear of them being caught had the Faunus' heart pounding, but the blood wasn't rushing to her legs, her core already moistening by the titillating situation.

"Also, we'll wake them up," Blake making her last ditch effort as Yang pushed all the right buttons.

Her girlfriend had her arm snaked around the Faunus' head, the careful cradle giving Yang the perfect spot to be stroking her cat ears while the other hand heavily pet Blake's womanhood. She was the judge effectively carrying out Blake's sentence, leaving love bites on her neck and collar bone. She bit down hard on her lip, wanting the blonde to stop, but knew she'd let out a squeaky moan if she couldn't bring her pleasure threshold down. A hitch came to her throat as Yang was building up the pressure within her, each new plateau making it harder for her to control her innate pleas. It was no use, Blake forcefully placed her hand over her mouth to muffle a shriek as Yang was soaking her through the fabric.

Blake's back arched, body begging for Yang to stop teasing, the blonde only getting started as she began to disrobe her lover. Her one free hand pulled down on her nightwear, revealing a perky breast. Yang didn't hesitate as she placed her lips around the raised peak, the hardened bud massaged with the velvety glaze of her lover's tongue. Blake tried to give her body to her girlfriend with the immense ecstasy that was coursing through her with each small nibble on her areola. She knew Yang was magic, but didn't think one day her skills would be so good to make her arrive with mere foreplay.

Blake started bucking her hips, hoping that her force on Yang's sopping hands would have them slip past the fabric and into her. After a few obvious attempts, she picked up on the message, shifting the bottom of the Faunus' panties aside to give her an opening. The blonde roughly slid her fingers down the moist crevasse, thumb circling the clit causing a pulsating effect reaching every part of the Faunus' body.

Blake momentarily released her mouth, withholding from screaming at her girlfriend as she was almost delirious with pleasure. "Stop playing around," she growled out, barely containing the panting of air. Yang looked up from her chest, a smile laced with the gratification of getting Blake to beg so hard for her touch. She returned to the Faunus' breast, giving an affirmative moan and glided a digit in, causing Blake to gasp with it invading her cavern, her walls willingly accepting the intrusion. She quivered at the growing impatience of her lover purposefully dancing around her clit as she was letting Blake loosen to her touch. The Faunus' hips writhed with each prod from Yang's palm against her love button. With the trifecta of ecstasy that was overtaking her, Blake surrendered her body with a final outcry, giving the blonde her permission to allow the Faunus to finish.

Yang quickly added a second and thrust in and out, the Faunus letting out a few cries of passion, forgetting Weiss and Ruby were feet away as her girlfriend dutifully ravaged her mound. Yang had done so well before penetration, that the Faunus' walls constricted the delicate fingers inside her, the blonde relishing in a good challenge as she picked up her pace. Blake relinquished all control and embraced her partner, pressing their bodies together, sweat making them sleek as Blake thrust against Yang's rhythm. The blonde painfully uttered through gritted teeth, the Faunus' nails digging deep into her shoulder blades, the length of the reddened trails increasing as Blake was being driven to orgasm.

The Faunus cried in a mixture of pain and pleasure as Yang's fangs buried atop her breast, Blake thrown into a delirium that only the blonde's mouth could alleviate. The dark-haired woman fastened her hands atop the golden mane, pushing Yang down to where the Faunus needed her most. Her girlfriend was obedient, but vexatious as she resisted enough of Blake's force to make her squirm with anticipation as Yang dotted the Faunus' taunt figure with her lips. A few more swirls of her tongue and nibbling of skin later, Yang had arrived at Blake's opening, her core bathing the blonde's hand and sheets liberally with her nectar. The Faunus gasped incoherently as she felt her girlfriend's moist breath hitting her clit, the woman's hips bucking as she felt Yang's tongue lapping against her center, her girlfriend releasing herself, wrapping an arm around Blake's waist to steady her as she feasted on the sweet juices of her lover.

Blake could feel it as the blonde curled her fingers, hitting the most sensitive part of her while she was rippling through her folds with her fleshly muscle, the Faunus swearing if she stopped now she would kill her. With a final flick on her bud, she hit climax. She gasped and bolted upright in her bunk lightheaded and confused as to the sudden change of scenery. There was no Yang, no moonlight, a small glimmer of the sun breaking through the drapes. But there were a few similar details. The Faunus' heartbeat was off the charts, the woman almost thinking she was having a panic attack with her haggard breathing and dizziness from the abrupt awakening. As Blake wanted to check her pulse, she noticed where her hand was, buried deep between her legs. She slowly brought it up to her face from the damp area, shocked at the amount of fluid that drenched her hand. A creak came opposite her, hiding her shame from anyone who might be awake. Ruby was tossing about in her bed, relieved the Faunus was the only one out of slumber, but she still had to clean up.

Blake crept into the bathroom, taking off her panties to briskly observe how much she produced, both impressed and disappointed in the results. She balled it up and threw it into the laundry basket, vowing to either wash or burn them later. Now fully awake, she washed her hand and looked into the mirror, amber eyes scared to admit what she had been fighting all night. " _Why does this have to be now? There's only three weeks left of the semester. Why couldn't it have triggered then? I could have been in the safety of my home, bar the doors, and figure it out on my terms... No use denying it anymore. I got all the symptoms. The sweating, the increased energy, the... vividly immersive wet dreams, and just about everyone is distracting me to some degree._ " Blake placed a hand over her face in embarrassment. " _I'm in heat._ "

Blake was coated in sweat, but chose to forgo the shower to save time. The last thing she needed was Yang flaunting about nude around her, the Faunus' instincts being to submit to her. She splashed warm water on a cloth and scrubbed the grimy parts as fast as she could, hoping to at least get rid of the certain smells source as she lathered on lotions. With her smelling acceptable, she peeked out the bathroom door, Weiss fiddling with her scroll on the bed and the sisters still asleep.

Blake greeted Weiss with a smile and wave, hastily got dressed in her uniform, and out the door. "Hey, Blake," the recognizable voice coming from behind her. "You feeling any better?"

The Faunus didn't look back, knowing the usual blonde bedhead would have her flushing in the face. "Yeah, doing better. I'll see you in class. Bye," she rushed out, closing the door behind her before her girlfriend could respond. She strut down the halls, making her way to the cafeteria. As she sat down nibbling at her food, she felt the dread of the heat symptoms at play. One-by-one, the students were coming in for breakfast, Blake regretting not bringing a book to distract her.

Pyrrha came in hand-in-hand with Jaune, the Faunus sitting there wishing she could be a part of that sandwich. The blonde boy's capable physique may be able to handle her as she would be showing Pyrrha how a real climax is achieved. She stared at the well proportioned body of the redhead, desperately wishing she was in her normal attire so she could get a hefty glimpse at the luscious cleavage. Having her wish partially granted came in Nora in her normal white getup. The Faunus could notice from a distance the slight glistening of sweat that was in the heart-shaped cutout on her top from early morning training with Ren, Blake already imagining how she would have shred her clothing starting at that spot and run the batteries out of the spunky teammate of JNPR. Ren came in next, the Faunus never finding him particularly attractive, but she would have turned his normally reserved nature in a bold beast in the bedroom.

Blake hadn't realized how long she had been gawking at the students, only by taking a bite out of her pancake was it obvious, the heat leaving a cold, soggy bland taste in her mouth. Disgusted with her behavior she tossed her food in the trash, storming out of the cafeteria hoping that the next people coming through the halls weren't her team. Blake rushed herself into the classroom, being an hour early had its perks with the emptiness. She sat in her usual spot, burying her face and embarrassment in her arms.

" _I can't believe myself. All that came to mind was sex. I undressed them all with my eyes and the raunchiest things possible came to mind. You can get through this, though. Yang already thinks I'm sick. I'll have her turning Vale upside down if I were go missing in that mindset. I didn't go through my training for nothing. I can contain the most extremes of any emotion, my desire to have sex should be no different. Deep breaths and concentrate. Even in heat, Professor Port shouldn't do anything for me._ "

Blake sat patiently waiting for class to start. Focusing her eyes at the center of the class, blinding her peripherals with her bangs. Unfortunately, a harsh laughter came from behind her, Cardin having a better day than herself. As Blake's new vision had taken effect, she started to feel literally ill as the lewd thoughts of her and Cardin passed through her mind. She went back to staring at the board, determined to keep it together.

The Faunus heard the familiar back-and-forth bickering between Ruby and Weiss, knowing Yang wouldn't be far behind. The calloused hand of her lover stroked from shoulder to shoulder as she passed her to take her seat. "You ran off this morning. I couldn't give you a kiss." Fingers laced through the black mane brought the Faunus' head to Yang's lips.

Blake's breathing picked up as the rousing action had her more heightened libido flaring up. She could feel the blood in her face making her hot, a quick tug at her collar to let out the excess heat. "Yea-yeah. Sorry about that."

Yang spun the Faunus around in her seat, Blake's eyes wide with the buffet of beauty that was manicured in front of her, the blonde appearing more erotic to the Faunus. Her girlfriend closed the distance, brows curved as she examined her. Blake subdued a small gasp as she had the smell of her shampoo wafting in, the smell triggering many of the past liaisons with her lover. Blake unconsciously licked her lips, the sight alone making her carnally hungry for sex.

"You sure you're alright there, Blake? I know you're standing and all, but I feel that you're overexerting yourself," Yang said in concern. Blake still had her excuse and she was going to abuse to its fullest extent.

"I'm fine," spinning herself back in her seat, fearing that any second she would have tackled Yang to the ground. Her standoffish demeanor seemed to manipulate the situation as she wanted, the blonde not questioning further as the bell rang, the portly professor coming from the faculty hallway and making a new record in how fast he can go off in a tangent in class. During and sometime after the professor was talking about his fishing weekend, Blake's eyes were darting across the room, surveying the more provocative features of the student body. The urges were creeping up on her, her hips gyrating on her own, hoping that the cousiony fabric would rub hard against her lower lips. Beads of sweat ran down her face, plastering her bangs to the sides, the healthy mass of students more than she was bargaining for.

"Blake?" came a small whisper from her side. The Faunus begrudgingly looked over, Yang scared at the expression of desperation. "Need me to take you to the nurse?"

She didn't hear what Yang said, her gaze focused on the luscious lips. The Faunus couldn't think of anything but salacious thoughts, the stimulation with this many people in her condition overwhelming the senses. "I-I got to leave," she breathed out. As she was bolting out the door, she tripped over Yang's pack, aiming unwanted attention at the Faunus as she was making her great escape.

Blake ran to the dorm and jumped underneath the covers despite the heat, ashamed at what had transpired back in the classroom. " _I hate this. It makes me feel like those people who detest us are right, that we are just animals,_ " Blake building up tears as she vented her frustration. " _All this work to have equal rights and it's theses glaring differences that are ammo against us. This wouldn't be half as bad if I weren't around people. When it happened with me and Adam, we were in a desert on an elongated mission with no one around for miles, but it wasn't us making love. It was this animalistic, bestial act._ " Her breathing turned uneven with a combination of anxiety and resentment. " _With Yang, it may be the same moves, but I feel something when we make love. It's the first time that sex wasn't some deed to satisfy needs, but have a heartfelt meaning behind it and I don't want to tarnish our relationship with this passionless lust. When I look at her, I don't see her. I see a collection of body parts I want to ravage and appendages that can make me orgasm. I don't want it like this. I have to hide it from the team and more importantly, Yang. I don't want them to see me like an uninhibited animal._ "

*-Yang-*

Her legs were running by themselves trying to catch up with Blake only to be stopped by the deep voice from the center room. "Miss Xiao Long, where do you think you're going?"

Yang turned around, surprised that Professor Port would actually stop his story for her. "Blake didn't look too well. I was going to make sure she's OK."

"That's very professional of you to be caring for your partner, but Miss Belladonna is a grown woman. She can take care of herself for the next forty minutes. Please, take your seat. We have a very important lecture to get to, but just to finish my story..."

Yang did as told, finding some truth to his statement. " _Can't be smothering, Blake. She's never been one to like the suffocation of extreme care. I'll check up on her immediately after class._ " That promise not being able to fulfill fast enough. The clock seemingly went slower as she kept peering back, anxious to get out.

Finally able to leave, she went to the dorm, semi-relieved to see a big ball hiding underneath the sheets. She could hear heavy, tempered breathing coming from the Faunus, Yang approaching with caution. "Blake, what's wrong?"

The amber eyes peeked behind the bedspread, hiding them again once she registered who it was. Yang thought to herself that it looked like a cat wanting to play if it wasn't for the flushed face and uneven breathing. The motherly impulse to care was coursing through her, taking baby steps to get to the bed. "Nothing. Summer cold. I took medicine and I'll sleep it off."

"I never heard of a cold that has a person as active as you. I think it's something more. Let me take your temperature" As Yang was reaching out to pull the covers away from Blake's face, the Faunus refuted the caring gesture.

"Don't touch me!" the loud muffle came from beneath the covers, startling Yang with some sort of sixth sense. "Don't come near me!"

Yang's predisposition to keep pushing further had her hand grasping the end of the sheets. "You need me to get you something then?"

Blake pulled the covers from the blonde's hand, the Faunus coming out of the covers willingly, shocking Yang with the distressed expression. "No! I need you to listen. I need to be alone... please."

Hearing the barely squeaked out plea, Yang knew she was now crossing lines she probably shouldn't. She wanted to be next to Blake, help however she could, but not in this fashion. She decided to give the Faunus what she wanted, vowing to do some research and giving Blake more than protective affection. "Fine. I'll be back later, though."

Yang hesitated walking out the door, hating that she was second guessing her gut instinct as she closed the door behind her. She had to keep her determination strong, knowing if she stopped she'd run back to Blake. As easy as it was to access the internet with her scroll, Yang went to the library to use a desktop, wanting to have as many resources at her disposal for diagnosing Blake. After a few hours of scanning through a database, the best she could come up with is a couple psychological disorders and a disease that she would have to travel to the jungles of Remnant to get.

The blonde massaged her head as she hit her impasse. " _I can do better than this, or perhaps this as good as I can do. I only have four symptoms to go off of, flushed face, irregular breathing, higher body temperature, and excess energy. Dare I open up some dusty textbook from a hundred years ago and start reading. Looks like I'm coming back to the room with some chicken soup and an ice pack. I don't like admitting defeat, but it looks like my strengths lie on the battlefield and not in a medical examination room._ "

Yang's tired eyes needed a break from the irritating white light of the monitor, resting her head in her arms for a few. At least that's what she thought she was going to do until the shrill voice of her sister's girlfriend came from behind her. "What's got you so down?" A pounding of large textbooks rumbled the desk, Weiss taking a seat next to her.

"I am not personally down, just resting my eyes worrying about Blake. Been searching online for anything I can help her with, but there's no way she could've contracted anything I looked up," she admitted, piling a bit of the problem unintentionally onto Weiss.

The heiress thought about it for a bit. Also, as if her brain was faster than a computer, computed the next logical solution. "You were searching in a humans only database, weren't you?"

Yang felt the lightning bolt hit her as Weiss led her to the obvious discovery. "Yeah... yeah I was. I didn't even take that into account."

"That's because you are blinded by both love and understanding. You see her so often..." Weiss pausing, making sure this conversation was private. "...without the bow. You don't let the ears define who she is, but rather look at her as a Faunus as a whole. Don't feel bad not taking that into account. I'm sure Blake would appreciate the sentiment."

Yang got back to looking for a Faunus illness database, her query immediately getting results when she put in the symptoms. She clicked on the first suggestion, Estrous Cycle. The page was like uncovering buried treasure with each shovelful. "Female Faunus will go through a period of heat, where the individual will have an increased desire to have sexual intercourse. This is brought out by the ovarian follicles and estrogen secretions exert their biggest influence. The female then exhibits sexually receptive behavior such as continuous thoughts about sex, rubbing themselves on others, more frequent masturbation, higher energy, and a heightened sense in all erogenous zones."

Yang felt like she found the answer to the universe, the greatest information of all time. The one that wouldn't cure cancer, but would ensure complete happiness for at least five days. "That explains some of the actions I was observing in class."

The comment grabbed Yang's attention. "You were noticing this and not telling me?"

"I honestly thought you knew and also it's not my business to be spreading rumors based on a few instances. I thought I saw her humping the seat in class," Weiss pointed out, Yang's heart jumping to her throat from the lewdness. "She was also giving me very curious stares. The ones she usually gives to you," Weiss explained, Yang knowing too well what the heiress was referring to. The lustful gaze, knowing in her mind she was imagining her naked. "I remember back in the mansion we used to have Faunus help. I didn't know at the time what I was hearing, but now I realize they used to have sex in the pantry, the howls being heard throughout the halls. It all seemed intense and let's just say father wasn't pleased, but leave it to him to be disgusted and not want to give up cheap labor. To have them not violating various parts of the house or humping furniture, he let them go for a week with pay. Solved that crisis."

Yang could barely fathom what a golden opportunity had fallen in her lap. She loves Blake, inside and out. She loves her addiction to books, her gentle articulation, her coy smile, her well-toned butt, her cat ears, and a million other traits. This, however, is not just icing on the cake, but the cake also topped with a banana split with sprinkles and a cherry on top. "So, just so we're on the same page, currently Blake is back in our room, hornier than she has ever been, and needs that are insatiable?"

"Well, yeah, that's what the diagnosis says," Weiss' eyes shrinking as she caught onto the blonde. "Yang. No, you better not..."

The brawler was already on her feet before Weiss could finish her sentence. "Tell Ruby to stay away from the room for the next three days."

"You are not kicking us out of the room for the weekend!"

"Already have. It's in your best interest to heed this warning. See you girls Monday." The best seducing techniques were whirling through mind, each one too easy. She wanted to bring Blake out of her lair and have her dragged back in. Before she opened the door, she primped herself well, making sure all of her assets were at their peak. She took a deep breath, hoping to stifle the eagerness and a smile stretched ear to ear.

Yang leisurely entered the room, leaning demurely as she closed it behind her. As her eyes panned towards the bed, Blake was on her side, head propped up against a pillow as her nose was buried in a book. The Faunus glanced up, only for her focus to dart back to the pages. Yang saw her prey, readying the attack. "Hey Blake."

"Hi-hi Yang. You're back earlier than expected."

The shake in her voice Yang found sexy in its own right, not having seen this side of Blake since they first got together. The difference this time, boiling underneath the surface, was a sexual desire that needed just a bit more pressure until it burst, Yang hoping all over her face. She puffed out her chest, as if her breasts needed to be more prominently displayed, hands innocently behind her back, wringing with the devious ideas she had in store for Blake.

"Couldn't just leave my poor sick girlfriend all alone. Thought I would provide a house call to cater to your body." Yang brought her voice down, attacking with the smallest of gestures to test the waters.

"Summer cold all taken care of. No need for your intervention," Blake quickly trying to snuff the idea, not knowing this was just the beginning.

"You say that, but I feel that a second diagnosis is in order," the blonde sultry said, tipping the book in the Faunus' hands down. Blake's face had never been so alluring to Yang, amber orbs big with the uncertainty of what comes next, a generous blush around her cheeks as her lips that were hungry for hers. The blonde still felt like toying with her impossibly aroused lover, wanting the gratification of her making the first move. She pressed forward, placing her forehead against Blake's, keeping it in place as she grasped the back of her head, cradling it in her palm. She heard the Faunus do a quick intake, Yang witnessing just how receptive she was.

"You're warm, but it's pleasant," she whispered, moving her face closer to Blake's ears, making certain there was skin to skin contact. The Faunus' breathing picked up again, Yang's ego flaring to new heights as she seduced her.

The blonde backed away, hand brushing past Blake's cat ears. She observed her progress, pleased with the results. The Faunus looked as if she had already been through intense foreplay, Yang knowing any second now she would hear the big O of victory, until Blake brought her book back to her face. "I'll ta-take a pass."

Yang was shutdown. Never had her advances been resisted to this degree. She felt like an expert that was being bested by some new trick to the puzzle. Blake was always one to rebuff at first, wanting Yang to earn her affection, which the brawler played along with. She always got her prize, even if it came days later after an exam. She was not to be beaten, especially knowing what lies at the end of this finish line.

Yang backed off, rummaging around her desk to give the illusion she was doing something else, even though her mind was in overdrive in what to do next. " _I'm already playing the game, so I can't be changing into a new uniform consisting of lingerie. I got to get creative with this. All of her is responsive. I tried tactile, used my charmingly low voice, my beauty is always captivating, and I can't exactly drop a taste of me into her mouth... but smell. I heard smell is the greatest inducer of bringing memories to the forefront. I need something that smells like sex, though._ "

The blonde rapidly tapped her fingers against her desk, school supplies not being the sexiest of ideas, but the school uniform was. For once she was glad the girl's uniform was uniquely feminine, tugging her panties down the legs. She didn't need to be the greatest panty thrower in the world, but just had to land it in arm's reach. She bundled them up in a small red ball and lobbed it across the room, landing squarely on the Faunus' chest. As soon as she grabbed the curious projectile, Yang began reeling herself back to the bed.

Each step Yang came closer, so was Blake by unfolding the underwear, the blonde noticing she was resisting the urge not to bring her scent directly to her petite nose. She sat on the edge, knowing full well she was about to be yanked in, be stripped, and pillaged for the Faunus' unyielding pleasure. Her violet irises met amber, but it wasn't to Yang's desired conclusion. As soon as she saw Blake's tears form, her craving for the hunt left her.

*-Blake-*

The Faunus' mind couldn't contain it anymore, her brain splitting from being provoked so repeatedly by Yang and her natural reaction to keep denying her body what it wanted was to cry. She started hyperventilating, her girlfriend coming closer attempting to help, only making it worse with her smell and body contact. "No, Yang, please. Stop! I'm in heat," she screamed out, the admittance having Yang back off. "I'm sure you already know that, though. It's not like I haven't been obvious with how I've been acting."

Yang nodded her head, "I had a hunch."

"I didn't mean to snap at you and be so distant, but..." the Faunus letting a few drops roll down her cheeks. "I'm ashamed that my body does this, that I have this ridiculous period where I can't control myself. I was naive to think I could keep it together just because I'm a little older. It's why I was lashing out before. I didn't want you to see me like this... like an animal. I must look so pathetic. I'm sure once you found out about my condition you couldn't resist. Who would? I know when Adam and I figured it out we took complete advantage of it, but I don't want to do this with you, Yang."

Behind the watery lens she couldn't make out the violet ones, unsure what Yang was feeling. "I don't... I don't want our love making to be reduced to some act based on a hormone release. What we do is beautiful cause we love each other. Sex in heat has none of that magic, it has no love, it only has the selfish need to fulfill itself. I don't want to ever not make love to you, Yang." The silence interrupted with the occasional whimper of Blake, her drives running at their capacity causing this eruption of emotions.

Blake felt Yang's strong arms lift her out from under the sheets, briskly being carried like a feather. The Faunus was at her limit, unable to hold back anymore and not wanting to. She clawed her way up to the blonde's lips, fiercely kissing her jaw as she tugged at the blouse, the material stronger than she was anticipating. She wanted Yang and didn't care that she was about to be taken advantage of. It wouldn't be so bad so long as it was her. She felt the fabric give away, the satisfying sound of cloth ripping knew Blake had her opening. Her hand fought against the top, trailing the milky skin until she got to one of Yang's peaks, wanting nothing more than to leave her mark a thousand times on her lover.

A few squeaky turns and water came rushing onto the couple. "Oh my goodness. Why is it so cold?" Blake practically jumped out of Yang's arms, the blonde strong enough to keep the Faunus in place.

"Stay still. I know it's cold, but this is going to work." Yang fought back, pinning the girl to the tiled wall as the freezing liquid kept pouring. The blonde pulled the bangs out of her eyes, Blake seeing the warm expression amongst the icy liquid. "It's called a cold shower. It isn't exclusive to guys." Either the Faunus' body was getting used to the temperature or the water was extinguishing the fire inside her, but she saw what Yang was trying to do.

A small smile crept along her face. "Sort of thought you were taking me in here for some shower play. What changed your mind?"

"Believe me, I was. The second I connected the dots that was the only thing I was aiming for, but it was what you said back there," Yang pausing, Blake finding a hint of sensuality with the blonde's bouncy hair diluting to a wet straight mess of strands following the generous contours of her body. But that wasn't as enticing this time compared to what was being said. "I know what you were talking about, how sex can be meaningless. I've had my serving and went back for seconds for that high, and you're right, it's different when we have sex. There is this connection under all the sweat, slickness, and orgasms. There is love and I wouldn't want it any different either."

With Blake's vision being so hazy from the continuous stream of sex the past day, she was so appreciative how clear it was now. She knows how much Yang likes their private time and she denied a full helping of it for the Faunus' sake. "Thanks," Blake leaning in, giving a chaste kiss, at first. Seems no matter how frigid the water, the Faunus was still in heat. Soon they had tongues twining and the taste of her lover was getting her too wild as a cheeky bite on on the lip drew blood in the heat of the moment. As she tasted the copper, she noticed it wasn't hers, but Yang's, the blonde wide-eyed from the surprise. As Blake was about to apologize for the painful measure, Yang reached for the handle, making the water even colder.

The Faunus shrieked at the arctic liquid filtering through the faucet. "What was that for?"

"That was for me. That was really hot," Yang laughing as she licked the dribble of blood off her lips. Blake couldn't resist, both wanting to embrace and get warm as she nuzzled Yang in the freezing shower.

* * *

"Why can't you tell me why we're packing up?" Ruby asked, closing the clasps on her suitcase.

"I'll tell you on the way. Stop questioning and let's get out of here," Weiss hotly replied. Ruby huffed, but was going to do as she was told.

"What about you, Yang? You don't look ready?" Ruby questioned.

"I'll be the last to leave. Get to the airship early. I want a bit of private time with Blake," Yang explained, earning a soul-piercing stare from Weiss. Yang mouthing out. ' _It's not that. Get your mind out of the gutter._ ' The heiress rolled her eyes, not giving the brawler the benefit of the doubt with her previous actions.

When the couple was alone, Blake sheepishly walked up to Yang, forcing her gaze to the ground. Without cold water, she didn't want to trust herself. "You're... you're really going through with this?"

"Please, you say you can't be trusted, well double that with me. If we really want to keep the sex life pure, then this is the more civil option. Renting me and the girls a hotel room for the weekend isn't all bad. I get to watch Ruby and Weiss interact and you get to masturbate till you pass out."

Blake took a shot at Yang's arm, enjoying the filthy joke. Still, she couldn't hold back and gave a chaste peck on the blonde's cheek. "I love you, Yang."

"I love you too, Blake. See you soon," Yang turning around, the Faunus still wanting to have some reward for her girlfriend being so altruistic.

She rushed and seized her from behind, inching up to speak confidentially. "One day, when I am able to have more control of this, I promise we'll rent a cabin, lock ourselves in, and not come out for five days."

Yang let out a deep sigh. "Blake, you can't be tempting me like that when my foot is barely out the door. I will hold you to that. I want to see if my skills can drain a Faunus in heat."

"Be sure to bring your A game. Till then..." Blake nipped the nape of Yang's neck, releasing her so she wouldn't miss the airship departure. She stood at the doorway as long as she could, popping back in the room before she inevitably would be catching up to Yang, wanting to take another breath of that mixture of citrus and gunpowder.

Blake plopped on her bed, opening up one of her guilty pleasure romances and getting to the good part. As she was about to get comfortable and relax with an erotic read, she couldn't get Yang out of her mind, Blake being forever cursed by the blonde's image. She reached up to Yang's bed and grabbed her pillow, missing her faster than she expected. " _I'll take care of myself later as I won't have this kind of lucidity. That blonde constantly wanting my affection is something I look forward to when I wake up. This one time she chooses not to means so much more. Yang, if you keep winning me over, then I don't think you can lose._ "

* * *


End file.
